BL Premium reports that Health Minister Zweli Mkhize moved on Tuesday to assure health-care professionals that they would have all the equipment they needed to protect themselves against Covid-19.
He promised that no-one would be forced to work without proper gear. His remarks came as the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) approached the Labour Court seeking to compel the health department to "meaningfully engage" with its members to ensure they have the right equipment and ensure that no-one was compelled to work without it. The matter had been expected to be heard on Tuesday, but was delayed. "No member of staff will ever be forced or harassed to go and work where they don’t feel they are properly protected," the minister stated, adding that "We want to assure all unions and staff that our health-care workers’ safety [is] of paramount importance." Mkhize was speaking an event to mark the arrival of the first consignment of protective equipment procured from suppliers in China. He indicated that provincial health departments had been encouraged to engage with unions every fortnight so that safety issues could be raised.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Claudi Mailovich and Tamar Kahn at BusinessLive (paywall access only)
- Read too, Nurses fear for their safety as Covid-19 gear shortages hit hospitals, at SowetanLive
- And also, Health workers are our primary soldiers in coronavirus fight, they have to be safe, says Mkhize, at News24
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page