POLOKWANE – Department of Health Spokesperson, Derick Kganyago, told BONUS the department is considering taking legal action against the people refusing to do their work at the clinic.
“It is the department that is blamed every time issues arise, yet these people who caused the issues want permanent employment. If they are not even permanent workers and they act like this, how do they expect to get permanent employment? It does not make sense,” he said.

This follows several patients at Rethabile Clinic who were left stranded after the clinic’s administrative staff went on strike on Tuesday, 14 March and they couldn’t get their medication.

During the recent strike, Kganyago said the staff locked themselves in the administration office and refused to give patients their files. The patients, he said, were however still attended to as the nurses themselves opened new files for the patients.

The strike is not the first disruption at the clinic within the last few years, this strike was provoked by the employees’ unhappiness with doing level seven work while only being remunerated for level two work.
Another grievance was that they have still not been permanently appointed despite being temporarily employed for several years.’

Read more:
‘Illegal strike’ leaves Rethabile patients stranded

Patients left to own mercy at Rethabile

Patients told to pretend they’ve been assisted

‘If you don’t want to help us, close your doors’

Kganyago said that during a strike and picketing action a week ago, the department was given a memorandum by the employees with regard to their grievances and added by law they are given at least seven working days to react to the complaints.

“This refusal to work does not help their cause, neither does it help the department to resolve the issues at hand,” he added.

Kganyago said the department is in negotiations and considering which action to take with regard to the matter.

Read more about this story in Review Weekend.

riana@nmgroup.co.za