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GroundUp reports that the contracts of more than 5,000 Community Healthcare Workers (CHW) in the Eastern Cape will be terminated at the end of March.
Sizwe Kupelo of the Eastern Cape Health Department said the terminations were necessary because the department had run out funds. He explained that the workers were employed through the National Disaster Fund to assist with Covid-19 efforts. “The department is trying to source funding, but at this stage the contracts are coming to an end,” he indicated on Wednesday. Meanwhile, union leaders have questioned how other provinces like KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng managed to extend the contracts of their CHWs. The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) and the SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) have called for the contracts to be extended as a possible third wave of Covid-19 was expected. Miki Jaceni, provincial Nehawu secretary, said: “We have held numerous engagements with the acting head of the department, Dr Zungu, to discuss retention of the Covid-19 workers but all our attempts were in vain.” Mzikazi Nkata, secretary of Saftu in Nelson Mandela Bay, said: “If our contracts are not renewed the pressure [of being understaffed] will intensify, causing a huge disaster for service delivery and astonishing numbers of Covid-19 fatalities in the province.”
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Mkhuseli Sizani at Groundup <https://www.groundup.org.za/article/over-5000-eastern-cape-community-healthcare-workers-will-be-without-jobs-end-month/>
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page