Pretoria - The long-standing plight of community health workers (CHW), who have been fighting for permanent employment at the Department of Health, was once again highlighted during a shutdown march by National Union of Public Service and Allied Workers (Nupsaw).
Disgruntled workers protested at Thaba Tshwane in Centurion, outside the offices of the Minister of Health Joe Phaahla.
Workers chanted songs, expressed their deep-seated dissatisfaction with the government’s implementation of austerity measures and called for improved wages.
They held up placards bearing messages that read: “Stop exploitation of CHW” and “Absorb all CHW on level 2 as an interim solution”
Nupsaw workers protest at Thaba Tshwane in Centurion, outside the offices of the Minister of Health Joe Phaahla. They expressed deep-seated dissatisfaction with the government’s implementation of austerity measures and called for improved wages. @IOL @GautengHealth #salaries pic.twitter.com/0zKMFAYPJG
Addressing protesters, union secretary Solly Malema said: “We don’t want 2% (salary increment). They gave themselves 3% (salary increase) these old Parliamentarians, but when we were busy fighting Covid-19 they were working from home.”
Malema denounced exploitation of workers at the hands of the government.
“Instead of employing the CHW permanently and filling up the vacant posts in the public service they are exploiting the workers by appointing them as Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP),” he said.
In their memorandum of demands, union members spoke up against government failures, saying they were evident in the swelling cost of living, rolling electricity blackouts, sky-rocketing fuel prices and job losses.
Other demands made to the health department were permanent absorption of EPWP employees, all Covid-19 contract-workers, security officers and cleaners.
They moved to the Department of Social Development to raise almost similar issues with their emphasis on the absorption of community caregivers and national youth and child workers.
Union members had planned to host a night vigil at the Union Buildings and also protest outside the offices of the Government Pensions Administration Agency and the National Treasury, to express their displeasure with the manner in which the scheme was mismanaging the workers’ pension funds.
Workers complained about the agency’s use of a forensic and labour relations unit to abuse and victimise black African employees.
They called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to sign off the proclamation of the Special Investigating Unit to investigate the maladministration amount of R5 billion in the modernisation project from 2010.
They also cried foul of racism at the agency, saying an investigation was required to look into the scourge allegedly perpetrated by senior management calling people monkeys and k-words.
The ban of labour brokers and recruitment agencies at the entity was among the burning issues sharply raised by workers.
Demonstrators called for the government to end austerity programmes, address rolling electricity blackouts, provide a living wage and basic income grant and stop privatisation of the state-owned enterprises.
Calls were also made against high levels of violent crimes, police killings and gender-based violence.
The protest was staged ahead of Wednesday’s national shutdown against the high unemployment rate and the high cost of living by the South African Federation of Trade Unions tomorrow in six cities, including Pretoria.
Motorists have been warned that the march will affect traffic in inner-city streets such as Francis Baard, Nana Sita Street, Visagie, Pretorius, Helen Joseph, Madiba, Sisulu Street, Du Toit, Nelson Mandela and Steve Biko, among others.
The march will start at 8am at Burgers Park, where participants will dispatch to the Union Buildings.
Pretoria News