Staff at Dora Nginza Hospital, who embarked on a wildcat strike on Monday, apologised to patients crowding the corridors and said doctors would handle their care until the department of health settled five months of unpaid overtime.
The nurses and support staff moved their protest through the psychiatric, dispensary and casualty wards after public order police dispersed them from the hospital entrance.
Patients, some on crutches, left the dispensary as staff sang in the foyer, where they held an impromptu meeting and vowed to continue their strike until a payment date for the overtime was confirmed.
The strike, condemned by provincial department spokesperson Siyanda Manana, was led by the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu), the Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA (Denosa) and the National Union of Public Service & Allied Workers (Nupsaw).
Nupsaw regional secretary Phumlani Matinise said their action was indefinite.
“What we do will entirely depend on management.
“The workers who have not received their overtime payments for five months are in a panic.
“Until they come up with a clear answer, workers will stand their ground.
“They got their payslips today, but the payments do not reflect despite their promise that payments would come this month,” he said.
Nehawu regional chair Tebogo Goniwe told patients at the casualty ward that workers were abandoning their posts.
“They only paid doctors.
“That means that our work here is not important. Therefore, those doctors must be the ones to see to your care.
“We are not fighting with you, but these workers up to their necks in loan shark debts can no longer be expected to come to work while their children cannot even go to some areas because their parents owe people money.”
At noon, Nombilelo Maswana, who was accompanying a family member seeking medical care at the psychiatric department, said they had only been served breakfast on Monday.
“Nobody is coming to help her. I must come every day since Monday last week, for eight days, and she gets no medication.
“Today, no food, no porridge, no lunch, nothing,” she said.
Nothobile Meleni, who was also in the same ward, said she had been waiting for her sister’s blood results for a week.
“They took her blood last week. We still have not had her results, and she is also elderly,” she said.
Manana said negotiations with the management of the hospital were ongoing.
“A wildcat strike is not the way to go.
“The memorandum is going through an internal validation process but the payments will be made,” he said.
The Herald
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.