This comes as the Health Apex Council met with the
government in the Bipartite Negotiating Panel on Tuesday, where the government
indicated that there would be no salary increase for the health workers for the
next three months given that they were offered a 50 percent increase and US$75
coronavirus (Covid-19) allowance valid for the next three months.
“All health workers’ associations agreed that the
government does not seem intent on addressing health workers’ incapacitation
and the issue remains unresolved. For that reason, all health workers will
continue withholding their labour until the government decides that health
workers matter and approaches them with a genuine intention to improve the
situation.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the economy has dollarised
despite the government’s shallow denials. Health workers will not return to
work until they are offered their salaries in United States dollars, as they
were on the 1st of October 2018,” the council said in a notice to its members.
The council added that it had raised the issue of health
workers’ incapacitation, to which the government responded saying it had taken
steps to increase the basic salaries as well as housing and transport
allowances by 50 percent and that all other allowances had not been increased.
“Crucially and disturbingly, the government insisted that
through these payments, no more salary reviews should take place for the next
three months and employees should be content with what they have been given
until September when the government is willing to start reviews again.
“Furthermore, the government insisted that it had cushioned employees by
introducing a Covid-19 allowance of US$75 which will be used through special
swipe cards rather than through actual disbursement of US dollar cash.
“The government insisted that these two arrangements would
be in place for the months of June, July and August and yet no clarification
was given as to when the 50 percent increment will be made and also when cards
will be issued,” the Council further said.
Speaking during a post-Cabinet media briefing on Tuesday,
Finance minister Mthuli Ncube said the government would not offer civil
servants cash “so that they don’t play money changer in the streets with the
foreign currency”.
The council added that the government had taken away the
right of employees to collectively bargain for better conditions of employment
for the next three months, thereby rendering useless the Bipartite Negotiating
Panel.
“Furthermore, the offer by the government was done
unilaterally without consulting the health workers. As a result, the offer is
woefully short of what health workers are demanding.
“To our shock the government did not bring a better offer
and instead wants to maintain the downward allowance calculations of $1 500,
$900 and $600 for high, middle, and low risk employees respectively,” the
council said.
Last year, doctors engaged in a four-month long strike
citing incapacitation, which further crippled the country’s ailing health
delivery system. Daily News
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