NEHAWU is disappointed that The Treasury madden no mention of the 39 000 vacant health care post in the Budget Speech of 2023. Image: Gallo Images / Die Burger / Jaco Marais)
NEHAWU is disappointed that The Treasury madden no mention of the 39 000 vacant health care post in the Budget Speech of 2023. Image: Gallo Images / Die Burger / Jaco Marais)
The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) will once again engage in protest action on Monday in a bid to get the attention of President Cyril Ramaphosa, who they say has failed to respond to a memorandum of demands submitted earlier this month.
Members of Nehawu’s National Executive Committee (NEC) will march to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to once again voice their grievances over working conditions lamented by healthcare workers.
Nehawu march to Union buildings
Nehawu, among other demands, want an 8% wage hike for front line workers fighting COVID-19 and better working conditions, and members currently gathering at the Union Buildings have insisted that they aren’t going anywhere until their “urgent, reasonable” demands are met.
In a statement released on Sunday 20 September, Nehawu General Secretary Zola Saphetha said that time and time again, the Presidency has failed to respond to their requests.
“Since we submitted the memorandum of demands to the President of the Republic through the eight Premiers, the Speaker of National Parliament and directly to the Union Buildings and he has not responded to our demands as he was given seven days to respond which expired on the 10th September 2020,” he said.
“On the 11th September 2020, NEHAWU wrote to the Office of the President to remind him about the ultimatum which had expired and informing him about our intention to withdraw labour power. Disappointingly, the Office of the President has only acknowledged the receipt of our letter and nothing about responding to our demands.”
Over 30 000 healthcare workers contract COVID-19
Nehawu believe that white their demands aren’t met, healthcare workers’ lives are being put in danger every time they enter their places of work.
“The inaction by the President is to the detriment of our members who are getting infected on a daily basis by the coronavirus, losing their lives and dying of hunger as they are denied their salary increases and bonuses as public servants and risk allowance or motivational incentives for frontline worker,” they said, adding that a total of 32 429 health workers had contracted the virus while 257 lost their lives as of 11 September as per the statistics provided by the National Department of Health.
“The national union has taken a decision that it will not sit idle while the President take his time when we made it unequivocally clear that we demand a response on the 10th September 2020,” said Sapheta.
“In this regard, the leadership of NEHAWU will not leave the Union Buildings and the Premiers offices until the President addresses us and resolves our issues as we believe we have been very patient with him and now our patience has dissipated.”
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