Labour Court orders striking Nehawu workers back to work
Acting Public Service and Administration Minister Thulas Nxesi has urged striking members of the National Education, Health, and Allied Workers' Union (Nehawu) to return to work.
Workers affiliated to the union downed tools on Monday demanding wage increase of between 10 and 12%.
They have rejected government’s offer of 4.7%.
On Saturday, the department obtained a court interdict against the planned Monday strike, but the union filed an application to appeal the ruling on Sunday.
On Monday the Labour Court upheld the interdict prohibiting public sector workers from embarking on an indefinite strike.
The department argued that the strike would cause harm to government and public services including health and education.
Nxesi says they will implement no-work no-pay principle.
"The principle of no-work no-pay is also non-negotiable, and any labour action must be conducted within the law, we will not allow essential services to go on strike as this is reckless and irresponsible.
"It is illegal to defy the court interdict, they can be prosecuted for defying the ruling of a court of law. The strike is interdicted, and we expect people to come back to work, we want to appeal to the union’s leadership not to engage into areas that may be costly to them, where we have to litigate the unions. It is a request that the leadership should abide by the decision of the court."
Striking workers blocked entrances to several government buildings and health care facilities countrywide.
This included the Free State, where three people were arrested for blocking entrance to the Pelonomi Hospital in Bloemfontein.
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