THE strike which erupted at the Life The Crompton Hospital on Friday, 17 March over a wage dispute has entered its second week.

The protesters, which includes nurses and hospital staff from the admin, pharmacy and engineering departments are demanding an increase of 8.5 per cent while the hospital is offering them 6.2 per cent.

Last week, Chris Ndlovu told the Highway Mail that the 6.2 per cent that the hospital is offering them is an insult.

“Even the inflation rate is 6.3 per cent. The management does not respect us as workers.”

“We drag ourselves to work every morning because of the way we are treated here,” said Ndlovu.

He said that he hoped that the meeting that they had with the management last Wednesday was going to be fruitful, “but till today (Tuesday, 28 March) we have not had any response from them.”

“We are fighting for our rights and we will only go back to work once our demands have been met,” said Ndlovu.

Life The Crompton Hospital, hospital manager, Barries Barnard said, Life Healthcare is aware of the industrial action at Life The Crompton Hospital by hospital union NEHAWU and confirmed that the industrial action is a result of a wage dispute.

“Life Healthcare management last week engaged with the union with a view to have the dispute resolved, but a resolution has not yet been reached. We will continue to engage with the union in order to settle the dispute.

“Operations at Life The Crompton Hospital have not been disrupted by the industrial action and our patients have continued to receive uninterrupted quality care throughout this period,” said Barnes.

He added that security has been deployed to the hospital to ensure the safety of patients, employees, doctors and the public at the premises.

In a press statement which was released by NEHAWU it stated that the National Education Health and Allied Workers Union (NEHAWU), the majority and the biggest union in the private health sector,  is currently on strike at the Crompton Life Hospital in KwaZulu-Natal.

“The union is representing more than 80 per cent of the workers in the hospital that falls within the bargaining unit.”

“The strike is as the result of the collapsed wage negotiations between the union and the employer.”

“The employer is currently offering 6.2 per cent which is below inflation while the union is now demanding 8.5 per cent from 15 per cent which was our initial demand,” said NEHAWU.

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