Nehawu strike: 80% services restored at Gauteng hospitals
The Gauteng Health Department on Friday said 80% of services at its facilities had been restored following this week’s violent protests.
Patients, and some essential healthcare workers, were barred from accessing hospitals and some clinics by striking workers affiliated with labour union Nehawu.
Nehawu is among several public sector unions lodged in a salary deadlock with government. They remain resolute in their demand for a 10% wage hike for the 2022/2023 financial year after the employer unilaterally implemented a 3% increase last year.
Gauteng Health spokesperson Motalatale Modiba said the situation across the province has now stablilised and measures have been put in place to ensure the rollout of services.
“One of the measures is that we managed to get a court interdict, that is not about the issue of whether the strike must continue or not, it’s about the nature of the strike in terms of ensuring that those who want to come to work are not intimidated and members of the public who want to access our facilities are not prevented from doing so and that property is not damaged.”
In line with the interdict, police have ramped up their presence at facilities hardest hit by the violence, including Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital where the protesting group was dispersed using rubber bullets and stun grenades.
Nehawu national spokesperson Lwazi Nkolonzi confirmed they will abide by the interdict obtained by the various provincial health departments.
“We have already started communicating with our structures that let's abide by what these interdicts are saying; don’t block access to healthcare facilities, there ought not to be any violence in our strikes.”
The Labour Appeal Court on Friday reserved judgment on the execution of the order granted to the Department of Public service and Administration to interdict the strike.
At the same time, Nkolonzi said the union will refrain from commenting on the statement by Health Minister Joe Phaahla that preliminary reports indicated that up to four people were believed to have died as a result of the strike.
READ: Phaahla making Nehawu scapegoat for govt weaknesses, says union
“The minister has indicated that there is going to be a legal process that’s in place and as such we don’t want to comment on that up until the legal process commences. Our legal guys are going to respond to that process that the minister spoke about.”
