Pretoria News reports that about 50 health workers in Limpopo, including nurses and doctors, engaged in a picket during lunch time at Mankweng Hospital on Monday as the threat of a sector-wide strike continued to loom large.

The workers are threatening to down tools after the Limpopo Department of Health imposed Circulars 17 and 18 of 2021, which will force the implementation of standardised rosters. This, according to the workers, would be contrary to what was agreed with unions, namely that managers and supervisors would consult with employees before drafting rosters. The health workers are claiming that the standardised roster will ignore the institutional circumstances and will take away the flexibility of the doctors. Public Servants Association (PSA) provincial secretary, John Teffo, confirmed on Monday that health workers were threatening strike action despite the unions trying to avoid it. “Workers are very angry and prepared to go on a full-blown strike and shut down the health service in Limpopo, but as unions we are trying to avert that. But we are calling on the MEC (Phophi Ramathuba) to provide leadership,” Teffo said. Provincial Department of Health spokesperson Neil Shikwambana confirmed that pickets had begun regarding the circulars, but declined to comment on the labour organisations’ accusations.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Mashudu Sadike at Pretoria News

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