Durban workers join NHLS strike

National Health Laboratory Services workers across the country downed tools on Wednesday

National Health Laboratory Services workers across the country downed tools on Wednesday

Published Jul 26, 2017

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Durban workers from the National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS) joined the more than 5 000 workers in a national strike on Wednesday.

Health-e News reported this week that the National Education Health and Allied Workers’ Union (NEHAWU) confirmed that the strike was as a result of the failed wage negotiations between the employer and organised labour.

Some of the employee demands include a salary adjustment of 7.3%, a housing allowance of R2000 per month and a shift allowance of R50 or 45% of hourly rate – whichever is the greater.

According to NEHAWU, all these demands were submitted to the NHLS on February 24, sparking marathon wage negotiations aimed at having the salary increases settled and implemented by April 1.

But discussions deadlocked and the unions declared a dispute.

All internal processes aimed at resolving the dispute failed and the matter was referred to the CCMA for facilitation.

Tahir Maepa of the Public Servants Association said the full implementation of the wage agreement has been dragging on since August last year.

“Labour tabled its wage demand for 2017 on 24 February and by 26 April the employer had failed to meaningfully respond and so a dispute was declared,” said Maepa.

“When the internal dispute procedure failed to resolve the impasse, the matter was referred to the CCMA for conciliation on 19 May. The matter remained unresolved and a certificate of non-resolution was issued by the CCMA on 22 June.”

Maepa said he was not aware of any unhappiness pertaining directly to working conditions, but was aware that employees were unhappy with their salaries.

NEHAWU confirmed that a series of meetings were further convened with both the National Department of Health and management of NHLS with the intention to intervene on the wage dispute in order to avoid the impending strike action.

According to NEHAWU, the NHLS and the Department of Public Health are guilty of underpaying workers who are critical at the point of service.  

“It is at this point that we call upon South African society to join hands with us in our quest to bring back our NHLS into public service,” said Khaya Xaba, spokesperson for NEHAWU, adding that they did not want public health services to be outsourced.

The Mercury

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