Health workers scan govt offer
2009-07-01 22:18
Johannesburg - The SA Medical Association reported back to its members on Wednesday after the government tabled a revised pay offer to medical workers who have been on an illegal strike.
"What is happening is that we are reporting back to members. We are trying to reach members and talk to them," said Norman Mabasa, spokesperson for the SA Medical Association (Sama) which is an affiliate of the Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu).
"We are going to report back to them between today [Wednesday] and Friday. By next week, we should be done."
The government presented a revised pay offer for public sector doctors on Tuesday in the hope of ending weeks of picketing and strikes that saw at least 200 doctors fired.
Meanwhile, the Eastern Cape health department was on Wednesday granted an interdict forcing striking doctors, deemed essential service workers, to return to work.
Port Elizabeth doctors, mostly juniors, returned to work. Doctors in Mthatha and Transkei however remained on strike.
FS health dept given memorandum
In the Free State, a small group of doctors, dentists and pharmacists handed a memorandum to the provincial health department, demanding better salaries and working conditions.
Most Free State doctors did not take part in recent wage strikes, with only three hospitals in the Bloemfontein area experiencing stay-aways on Tuesday.
Western Cape doctors stood in solidarity with their dismissed colleagues in KwaZulu-Natal, saying they would consider the government's new pay offer, but refused to go back to their jobs unless these workers were reinstated.
The KwaZulu-Natal health department said following the court order forcing striking health workers to return to work, many had done so. However it added that the number of dismissal letters issued had increased to 244.
Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi also urged a speedy resolution to the doctors' strike and warned that public sympathy may be waning.
Most of the people being turned away from hospitals were from the black working class who could not afford private hospitals because of past inequities, Vavi told Cosatu's education and skills conference in Johannesburg.
Union unhappy with package date
Meanwhile, Trade union Hospersa said it was unhappy with the date on which the new package took effect.
"Hospersa is not happy with the fact that the employer is deviating from the implementation date agreed to during the 2007 negotiations," the union said in a statement.
The OSD for the medical sector was meant to take effect from July 1, 2008. Government's offer only covered the period from July 1, 2009. It was offering a once-off cash amount for July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009, Hospersa said.
"We want to emphasise that Hospersa has not committed itself to signing the proposed agreement. We will do so only with the mandate from our members," it said.
- SAPA