BusinessLive reports that Gauteng Health MEC Gwen Ramokgopa has announced that her department has conceded to mortuary workers’ demands for a better wage deal in order to get them back on the job.  

This was despite a nearly R11bn funding gap.  About 180 forensic assistants went on strike in June, claiming they were underpaid and doing work they were not qualified for.  Ramakgopa said her department would at the end of July reverse the remuneration scales of forensic pathology assistants back to those prior to 2010, which were the pre-occupation specific dispensation salary scales.  Remuneration would now go up "with retrospective calculated amendments".  Before 2010, forensic assistants had four levels of upward job mobility, which were inexplicably removed in 2010.  The removal of the top two levels of progression made it difficult for the officers to advance to higher levels of employment and pay.  Also, over time, the positions of senior forensic pathology officers who left were apparently not filled.

• Read this report by Michelle Gumede in full at BusinessLive
• Read the DA’s press statement regarding this matter at Politicsweb

Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page