The Citizen reports that the strike by the National Education Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) in the North West’s state health sector, which served as the catalyst for the past week’s violent protests in the province, is set to intensify.
Nehawu has called for Premier Supra Mahumapelo to resign and on Tuesday announced plans to ramp up its current strike. Union leaders said the crisis in the North West was due to Mahumapelo’s tendency to be a referee and a player, who meddled in the hiring and firing of officials. The union unveiled its plan to intensify the two-month long strike, threatening to make the situation in the provincial health centres even worse, if their demands were not met. The strike, which started in February, has affected services at hospitals, clinics and health administrative services. It sparked last week’s protests in Mahikeng and Zeerust, after two patients died in a local clinic. The union’s demands include an end to outsourcing of services, such as cleaning, security and catering; payment of all outstanding pay progressions by 30 April; an end to prejudice associated with performance bonus payments; the filling of all funded vacant posts; salary adjustments for medical depot workers; absorption of community health workers; and an end to corruption.
- Read this report by Eric Naki in full at The Citizen
- Read too, Nehawu vows to intensify strike at North West health department, at eNCA
- And also, Union steps up campaign to remove premier, on page 4 of The Star of 25 April 2018
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page