NEHAWU Eastern Cape Statement On The Non-payment Of Overtime And Stanby Allowances FOR EMS And Forensic Pathology Services
Wednesday September 14, 2022
The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union [NEHAWU] in the Eastern Cape calls on the provincial government to address chronic challenges engulfing the Emergency Medical Service (EMS) and Forensic Pathology Service (FPS) in the province.
As NEHAWU, we have witnessed mounting financial mismanagement by the Department of Health in the province, which has negatively affected our members and workers depriving them of benefits due to them. Since April 2022, the department has not paid their workers overtime monies and stand-by allowances due to them. The department has been scapegoating the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) and the Provincial Treasury as the reason why workers have not been paid what is due to them.
The union has been engaged with the department in trying to resolve the non-payment of these benefits and push the employer to comply with related prescripts in terms of Health and Safety of our members. All these efforts have fallen in deaf ears and as such the department has on numerous occasions elected to take us to court using the tax-payers money. As NEHAWU, we are concerned that the department resorts to using courts to resolve any conflict with its employees. This clearly demonstrates that there’s lack of leadership in the department and that the Accounting Officer and Senior Managers are incapable of running the department especially EMS and Forensic Pathology Services. The department has failed to apply consequence management to these managers that have created these challenges confronting the department.
As NEHAWU, we will not stand idle whilst our members continue to work under difficult conditions of exploitation by the department. It is for this reason that we have resolved that our members across the Province from today onwards shall continue to apply the “Work to Rule Principle”. This means our members shall only work the normal 8 hour shift and shall refuse to extend any help or favours for the employer.
The union will expose the weaknesses and chronic challenges confronting the department. Our members have for a while been carrying the heavy burden of saving the department from collapsing. The sacrifices, hard work and commitment by our members and workers to the people of the province has made the employer to be naïve and arrogant.
Equally, the union wants to register that it has referred a case of fraud and corruption to the Special Investigating Unit for investigation on corrupt activities within the EMS section.
Lastly, the union is also going to activate the communities that are being denied their rights to emergency health care services due to the malfeasance that is happening within the Department of Health. As NEHAWU, we call on communities to join us and raise their voice to compel the provincial government to resolve challenges confronting the department.
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Issued by NEHAWU Eastern Cape Secretariat Office
For more information, please contact: Mlu Ncapayi (Eastern Cape Provincial Secretary) at 0723743806/063 685 1923 or email Mlungiseleli@nehawu.org.za or
Sweetness Stokwe (Eastern Cape Provincial Deputy Secretary) at 063 685 1904 or email: SweetnessS@nehawu.org.za
Visit https://www.nehawu.org.za