Byline: Andani Matumba
22 November 2022
Department of Health employees from various unions such as NEHAWU, PSA and DENOSA in Govan Mbeki Municipality have shut-down all public health facilities today, 22 November 2022 due to a salary increase strike which started this morning at around 07h00.
These public facilities include all clinics in eMbalenhle, Leslie/Leandra, Kinross, Secunda and Evander hospital.
Patients are left stranded are not being attended to as they are turned back home because there will be no one to assist.
According to Mr Cane Motsoneng, Secretary of NEHAWU, Evander branch said the retaliation is after the department failed to increase employee’s salaries with 10 percent which was the negotiated percentage and received only 3 percent instead last meanwhile the negotiations had not been concluded.
Motsoneng further stated that the strike will not affect patients in need of emergency care and those who admitted who are in need of food and medication will also be attended to.
According to Motsoneng, other employees from Leslie, Kinross and eMbalenhle will also joined the strike during the day at Evander Hospital.
Some patients from Leslie said their clinic has been closed hence they came to Evander.
“At the gate, they allowed us to come in the hospital but now we have been sitting for hours without anyone attending to us now we don’t know where to go,” said Mkhulu Mahlangu from Leslie.
