REGIONAL executive members of the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) in the Mopani district marched to Nkhensani Hospital in Giyani on Friday, where they to handed over a memorandum of grievances demanding that the Performance Management System (PMS), which gives bonuses to outstanding performers, be applied adequately to all deserving workers.
Other core demands included filling vacant posts within a year of becoming vacant, transparent recruitment processes and the redeployment of underperforming managers.
“As Nehawu, representing 5 000 workers in Mopani district, we’re deeply alarmed by the deterioration of services in public institutions,” said the regional secretary of Nehawu, Macdonald Sibuyi, reading from the memorandum.
“The union demands that the PMS policy be applied uniformly and transparently across all hospitals staff in the district,” continued Sibuyi, saying this would motivate workers as they were struggling to keep up with the recent fuel and electricity hikes.
Nehawu regional chairperson, Mafumulela Mathebula, said to give management 30 days to respond to their memorandum was civilised.
“If we were to do what we were supposed to do, we would demand that they respond today because our grievances are not new,” he said, adding that the union had been asking management to rectify the PMS issue for a long time.
“We had these grievances since 2007 and have asked management that they be addressed in hospitals across the district, but nothing has happened,” he continued.
Ruth Shilumani the acting CEO of Nkhensani Hospital, received the memorandum and said they would respond to the grievances as demanded. “We are going to sit as management and see how we can address your problems,” she said.
