National Education Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) said it was not shaken by threats of legal action by the government.
During a media briefing in Johannesburg on Thursday, Health Minister Joe Phaahla announced that the department was seeking legal action against the union after four patients died as a result of the protest.
The patients died because they could not access healthcare services as operations at some hospitals brought to a halt due to the strike.
Workers affiliated with the union at Helen Joseph Hospital said they would continue demonstrating until its disputes with the government were resolved.
They are calling for a 10% wage increase, but the government is offering a 4.7% hike.
Nehawu chairperson at the Helen Joseph Hospital, Hoxani Baloyi, said the government wanted to punish healthcare workers for the failures of the government.
“It’s a joke, because if the employer was serious about the lives of people in this institution, they should have done better.”
He said the loss of life could have been avoided if the government had honoured the union’s demands.
“They have been avoiding this collective bargaining at the expense of these lives that have just been lost. So if anyone deserves the blame, it should be the employer.”
Phaahla said Nehawu’s protest violated several laws.
Nehawu in the Western Cape said threats to arrest striking health workers would not deter its members from demonstrating.
Hundreds of healthcare workers are partaking in strike action in Cape Town for a fourth day.
According to Nehawu, talks to find a mutual agreement on the wage dispute between the employer and the union were still under way.
This comes after Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council urged both the union and the employer back to the negotiation table.
However, Nehawu Western Cape secretary Baxolile Mali reiterated that all striking workers would be protected.
“We don’t think that it is morally correct to just arrive at a decision that people die because of a strike action. I mean when someone has died, you don’t look in the face and say the event which was happening today was a strike, therefore the cause of death is a strike,” Mali said.
Mali added that the union would not be deterred by criticism from Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) on how it should carry out demonstrations.
-EWN
In other news – Warrant of arrest issued for Andile Mpisane
A warrant of arrest has been issued for Royal AM FC chairman Andile Mpisane. This comes after he allegedly violated an interim protection order.
Andile allegedly followed and threatened his ex-girlfriend, DJ Sithelo Shozi. The warrant of arrest was issued on Friday, 3 March, and Sithelo went to Durban North police station to hand it over to the police to arrest her ex-boyfriend. Learn More
