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SowetanLive reports that the Limpopo department of health has accused thousands of its health workers of milking the state of nearly R2bn in the past two years by allegedly manipulating rosters to create the need for overtime pay.
On Monday, the department said it would not back down on its plan to introduce new rosters in public health facilities, cut overtime and allow employees to work 40 hours a week. But, labour unions representing doctors and nurses are fiercely opposing the implementation of the new measures and have threatened strike action over what they call a "unilateral decision to change the conditions of employment". The department head, Dr Thokozani Mhlongo, said they had commissioned a study to establish where the money was going and said it revealed “patterns of poor use of human resources as well as abuse of overtime and sick leave that we had to confront.” She claimed the level of spending on personnel was unacceptable and left the department with only 30% to spend on medical supplies, equipment, medicine, blood, oxygen. But, in a letter of notice dated 26 February, seven labour unions informed the department about their intention to strike due to unilateral changes to the terms and conditions of employment. The unions were scheduled to announce their way forward at a joint press briefing on Tuesday.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Peter Ramothwala at SowetanLive
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