Nehawu has brought the provincial pharmaceutical depot to a standstill
The five-day protest by the Mpumalanga Pharmaceutical Depot workers has left health authorities worried.
The protest by National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (NEHAWU) members started on Monday outside the Mpumalanga Pharmaceutical Depot on Dr Nelson Mandela Drive.
The workers who belong to a private company outsourced by the department of health said they want to be absorbed by the department.
The depot is one of the province’s biggest pharmaceutical depots, it supplies medication to state clinics and hospitals in Mpumalanga.
The strike could negatively affect primary healthcare services at government clinics and hospitals leaving thousands without medication.
One of the NEHAWU leaders, who refused to identify himself to the media, said some workers have been on contracts for 21 years.
“It has been 21-years of uncertainty whether our contracts get renewed, however the department of health doesn’t want to make us permanent workers. This has left us with no option but to go on strike ”
He also said negotiations between the union and management have failed to resolve the dispute.
Www.mobserver.co.za sent a media inquiry to the Mpumalanga Department of Health. It could not be reached for comment before print.
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