Johannesburg - The Health and Allied Workers Indaba Trade Union (Haitu) said 6 000 jobs in various Gauteng hospitals and clinics were at risk as short-term Covid-19 contracts expire in a few days.
The Star understands that masses of health workers and essential staff members were employed by the Gauteng Health Department at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Many of them were placed on contracts that had been renewed, but the short-term contracts are coming to an end once more, a move that could see doctors, nurses, porters and other workers in hospitals losing their jobs.
Rich Sicina, Haitu’s president, said it would be unfair to leave workers without jobs a few days before the Easter holidays. He said should the department choose not to employ the workers, hundreds of families would be affected.
“They cannot do this. Is this how they thank us for putting our lives at risk during Covid-19? We were there as nurses, we went to work while other people stayed at home. We never treated patients from two metres away. On top of that, we lost friends and colleagues – their lives cannot be for nothing,” he said.
Sicina said he had received information that there was an intention to hire some workers on a contract basis, but he said this was unacceptable.
“We are talking about doctors and nurses and other professionals. How do you keep them on contracts, this is a shame. The hospitals are already having service delivery issues, how can they make it worse by further letting go of workers,” he said.
Sicina said the union was also demanding that security companies become a thing of the past in hospitals, and that workers be directly employed by the Gauteng Health Department.
“What we are seeing about these security companies is that someone is benefiting and not the health professionals who are being attacked in hospitals. This is just another way to corruption,” he said.
Sicina said the union felt betrayed by other unions who organise in the health sector.
“Where are the established unions in the health sector? They should have been with us here because we are not only fighting for Haitu members, but we are fighting for all people in the health sector,” he said.
The march was also attended by members of the Independent Liberation and Allied Workers Union.
Spokesperson for the Gauteng Health Department, Motalatale Modiba, said he would not comment on a march to the premiers office.
The Star