Gauteng paramedics protest work hours, safety concerns

An independent group of Gauteng emergency medical service (EMS) paramedics are protesting a number of issues at Maryfitzgerald Square in Newtown, Johannesburg. 

One poster said the workers are being forced to clock in 192 hours without compensation. It also reads “enough is enough guys”. 

Photo: Nigel Sibanda

Gauteng EMS spokesperson JP von Benecke told The Citizen the workers are adamant they are owed money. This despite meetings Von Benecke said were taking place between unions and the provincial and national health departments. 

He said the matter is in arbitration with the Department of Labour, but “the guys are not happy with the process”. 

As a last resort, he said the group gathered to hand a memorandum over to the Gauteng Department of Health. 

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“If the arbitration comes back in our favour, which has happened twice before on the same matter, we will have to recover that money from them, which is frustrating.”

Lack of safety a major concern

Another serious issue for the protestors is the spike in attacks on emergency personnel and ambulances. 

“The guys feel there’s not enough being done by law enforcement to keep them safe. It is a complex and difficult issue to litigate every circumstance, but we are working on it,” Von Benecke said. 

Von Benecke explained that workers were being targeted by a variety of criminal acts. These range from tyre spikes to being caught in gun crossfire in dangerous areas.

He said paramedics are seen as trusting, soft targets who openly go into situations “where they expose themselves.” 

It certainly is not “normal, petty crime”, however. 

Just last week, an ambulance crew attended to a patient in Dukhatole informal settlement in Germiston who had been shot. 

When they arrived and were busy with the patient, armed men began shooting at them. One crew member was shot and rushed to hospital.

This is the third attack on emergency personnel in the space of a month. 

Earlier in May, a female paramedic was attacked by armed men while on duty and is on crutches due to her leg injuries. 

In another incident, a shift leader and her crew were attacked by community members in Magaliesburg while attending to a distress call.