Provincial Members of the National Union of Public Service and Allied Workers (NUPSAW) and South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) joined a night vigil protest outside the offices of the Department of Health on Tuesday evening.
This comes after the department recently laid off ground workers, data capturers and clerks across the province.
Union leader in the province, Ntata Sekgota says the department notified the workers regarding the termination of their 12-month contracts which was set to end in April 2021.
Sekgota says the department terminated the contracts of workers above the age of 35, which he views as discrimination on the basis of age. “These people have been working for the department for years and age was never a problem. Some of them were even older than 35 when they were appointed. It does not make sense as to why the department would terminate their contracts, as it has been budgeted for.”
He says those under the age of 35 were made to reapply for their positons.
The unions handed over a memorandum to the department a week ago, demanding a response by Monday (5 October), but the department failed to respond. They have now staged a night vigil in the hope that the department will keep the workers.
One of the workers (54) said she has been working for the department since 2013 and has eight dependents. “Since I started working for them they have been promising me a permanent position. At least they can allow the contract to lapse and decide not to renew it.”
Another worker (38) who is blind says he feels discriminated against not only because of age but because of his disability. “I started working for them in 2014 as an intern and they decided to contract me in 2015. My disability does not get in the way of my work and I would like to believe I was good at my job, which is why I was contracted after the internship. I am taking care of eight people at home and they all rely on me.”
Another worker says she is a widow and is taking care of her four children. “How will I give my daughter (19) an opportunity to further her studies if I am not working.” By the time of going to print we were still awaiting comment from Health Spokesperson Neil Shikwambana.
Story: Umpha Manenzhe
