The Eastern Cape health department’s interim court interdict against trade unions seemingly had little effect because several clinics where workers went on an unprotected strike last week were still not fully operational yesterday.
The labour court in Gqeberha granted the department an interim interdict on Tuesday, barring its members from furthering an unprotected strike at several clinics in the Bay. This followed weeks of rolling strike action which led to the closure of numerous clinics.
While health MEC Noma-khosazana Meth met trade union leaders behind closed doors for much of yesterday, healthcare services at the Algoa Park, Zwide and Motherwell clinics had not fully resumed.
The gates to the clinics were closed. At the Algoa Park clinic, many residents were desperate to get inside to see the nurses.After a meeting of more than eight hours with Meth to discuss the ongoing strikes in Nelson Mandela Bay, healthcare workers finally agreed to return to work.
The department’s interim court interdict against the unions prohibited them from protesting or preventing fellow workers from working.
Meth was locked in meetings with trade union representatives and senior management at the department’s district offices in Gqeberha for much of yesterday. The issues discussed included staff shortages, emergency medical services, infrastructure problems and general maintenance.
The strike started at the beginning of April because of staff shortages at the Motherwell Community Health Centre.
Meth said the department had committed that recruitment processes were under way to fill the vacancies.
“We’re happy we managed to find each other and they have agreed to go back to work tomorrow [Thursday]. Our people will now be able to get the crucial services that had been disrupted these last couple of weeks,” Meth said.
Unions committed that services would be restored from today, asking that the no work, no pay principle should not be implemented for the days employees were not at work.
The workers called off the strike after they were told five of the eight nurses who were successful in interviews for vacancies at the Motherwell centre would report for duty today, according to Meth.
The department also committed to fast-track the appointment of 20 general workers in the Bay.
The department had approached the court on an urgent basis, to interdict the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union, Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA, the Health and Other Services Personnel Trade Union of SA, the Public Servants’ Association of SA, National Union of Public Service and Allied Workers, Young Nurses Indaba Trade Union and Public and Allied Workers Union of SA from continuing with the strike.
HeraldLIVE