I have never been involved in a strike action. I have never walked chanting down a street and manually spewed the contents of refuse bins across the street. If these aforementioned actions are a part of ‘living life’ then I obviously have not lived.
The present strike by government medical staff is unforgivable. One, because I believe government employees from any department should not be allowed to stop work and march and demonstrate in ‘my time’. They seem to forget that the people of South Africa, through taxes, actually pay their salaries.
It might only be a trillionth or one cent from my pocket but, essentially, they work for me. I indirectly pay their salaries and here they are making taxpayers’ lives a misery. Emergency services in any country are called that because that is their prime function in life. To be primed to respond to emergencies.
Two, the fact that government is underpaying them is not my problem. Vote to change the government. Essentially, any government in power anywhere in the world (even in communist states) will butter their bread on both sides liberally, while giving their state employees the crusts.
Therefore, strike if you employees wish, but strike in your own time. Take a day’s leave – why must we financially support your strike time?
The criminal aspect of this NEHAWU strike is the blocking of access to medical staff who still feel morally bound to serve their oath of health care to those people who require it.
I would wonder, just how fast space would be made, should a number of a striking NEHAWU member’s family be involved in a multiple-injury-accident? One should bear in mind that it is all very well to inhibit and obstruct, but beware if the pendulum swings the other way.
Are we as humans losing the ability to emphathise? Is it becoming just me, me and me again?
TREVOR BARNES
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