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Thursday, 7 November, 2024
HomeNews UpdateCommunity health workers protest for full-time jobs

Community health workers protest for full-time jobs

Community health workers picketed outside the Labour Court in Johannesburg on Tuesday where their employment status is being litigated, saying they have been fighting for their rights to be made permanent since 2008.

The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) is seeking to review a bargaining council arbitration award that ruled against the union’s application to compel the Department of Health to give them permanent jobs.

Currently, writes Silver Sibiya for GroundUp, about 50 000 workers countrywide are on recurring fixed-term contracts and have been for many years, despite various promises to make them permanent.

Lwazi Nkolonzi, Nehawu national spokesperson, said the workers should enjoy the same benefits as permanent public servants.

Advocate Garth Hulley, for the union, said no justifiable reasons had been given for denying the workers permanent employment.

Advocate Arthur Maisela, representing the Health Department, argued that workers had agreed their services were only needed temporarily when they signed their contracts. He said their fixed-term contracts were governed by collective agreement, and that unlike permanent staff, the money for employing community workers depended on conditional grants.

Solly Phetoe, general secretary of Cosatu, which is supporting Nehawu’s court bid, said the department’s argument in court did not “carry water”, while Solly Mapaila, general secretary for the SACP, said the rights of workers were “being ignored by a government that protects the capitalist system with liberal policies”.

Acting Judge AJ Cook reserved judgment.

 

GroundUp article – Community health workers picket outside Labour Court (Creative Commons Licence)

 

See more from MedicalBrief archives:

 

Khayelitsha community health workers picket for Covid-19 danger pay and permanent jobs

 

Payment relief for protesting Sedibeng healthcare workers

 

Failed bid to have 47 000 community health workers made permanent employees

 

 

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