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Nehawu protested in front of Union Buildings in Tshwane, demanding the implementation of a pay increase agreement and other issues related to Covid-19.
- The Nehawu NEC protested in front of Union Buildings on Monday.
- The union wants the president to respond to their demands and solve their problems.
- The issues include the implementation of a pay increase agreement and the safety of healthcare workers during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The national executive committee (NEC) of the National Union of Education, Health and Allied Workers (Nehawu) protested in front of union buildings in Tshwane on Monday, demanding that the salary agreement for its members be implemented with immediate effect.
The union’s NEC protested outside Union Buildings after they presented a memorandum earlier this month.
Nehawu President Mzwandile Makwayiba said the union was fighting for the implementation of a wage deal that was reached in 2018, as well as issues related to healthcare workers who contracted Covid-19.
READ | Nehawu threatens to attack full-fledged on Covid-19 security
According to Makwayiba, the agreement, which should have been implemented before April 1, would have entailed a salary increase of between 6% and 8% at different levels of workers.
He added that there should also be retroactive payments on the increases.
“A total of 32,429 healthcare workers had contracted the virus, while 257 lost their lives as of September 11, 2020, according to statistics provided by the National Department of Health,” Nehawu spokesman Khaya Xaba said in a statement on Sunday.
“In this sense, we will not stand by while we lose our members as long as the government continues to insult workers by refusing to implement Resolution 1 of 2018, especially Clause 3.3.”
Other issues included paying for risk for Covid-19 and protecting healthcare workers during the pandemic.
Makwayiba said the government’s excuses about his financial situation were not valid.
READ MORE | Nehawu prepares to protest in front of Union Buildings by frontline workers
“We learned that billions have been stolen, but you can’t steal from an empty purse. You steal from a purse with money,” Makwayiba said.
He added that the union should not be punished for financial reasons and that those who have stolen should be held accountable.
Nehawu protested in front of the Union buildings in Tshwane.
Both Makwayiba and Xaba said they would continue to protest in front of the Union buildings until President Cyril Ramaphosa responded to their memorandum and their demands were met.
The union leadership also spoke about embarking on a massive protest action and their intentions to withdraw the workers if their demands were not met.
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