After nearly two days of protesting outside Themba Hospital, nursing staff returned to work on Friday afternoon. This followed a visit by a team from the Department of Health, who came to address staff representatives.
The staff members began their strike on Thursday morning by blocking the road leading in and out of the hospital and refusing to work. They demanded that attention be given to issues like a shortage of resources and staff and overtime not being paid out.
During talks between the strikers and the department, it was agreed that all overtime claims be sent to the Head Office by today in order for them to be processed and paid out as soon as possible.
According to Mr Dumisani Malamule, spokesperson for the department, the delay in payment of overtime was caused by staff not submitting claims correctly. Hospitals in the province were advised to ensure that the correct documents are attached to avoid a similar situation in the future. Malamule commented that the department is aware of the other issues faced by staff and are in the process of addressing them.
The department condemned protest actions by staff performing essential services and stated that action would be taken against people who participated in the protest. They would also like to apologize to the public for the inconvenience caused during the protest.
