This news aggregator site highlights South African labour news from a wide range of internet and print sources. Each posting has a synopsis of the source article, together with a link or reference to the original. Postings cover the range of labour related matters from industrial relations to generalist human resources.
BL Premium writes that mystery surrounds the SA government’s apparent decision to pay R439m to bring in 217 health-care professionals from Cuba.
The group — nicknamed the Cuban brigade — consists of doctors, biostatisticians, epidemiologists and health technologists. While the government has yet to comment on leaked documents outlining the spending, questions have arisen about why it appears to be paying R5.58m to put them up at a four-star Pretoria hotel for their required 14-day quarantine. Their advisers’ accommodation was planned to cost another R7.7m. Meanwhile, SA doctors are riled at the decision to bring in the Cubans. Dr Angelique Coetzee of the SA Medical Association said plenty of local doctors were willing to pitch in, including many who were retired or unemployed. Nursing union Denosa is also furious that this decision was taken while many unemployed and newly qualified nurses do not have jobs and provincial governments have said they can’t afford to hire them. Moreover, problems are experienced every year in placing interns and doctors who need to perform community service, because provincial governments can’t afford to pay them. Yet, the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union has welcomed the Cubans, while health minister Zweli Mkhize said they were not stealing jobs and that SA needed all the help it could get with the coronavirus pandemic.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Katharine Child at BusinessLive
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page