Durban - Members of the Public Servants Association (PSA) picketed outside the Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme Memorial Hospital in KwaMashu on Monday over issues including unfair treatment of staff, unpaid overtime and non-payment of medical tax.
The PSA said a memorandum of demands had been handed over to the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health.
The department said it had noted the memorandum and will respond in due course.
PSA KZN provincial manager Mlungisi Ndlovu said that they previously had attempted to bring up the concerns of its members with the management of the hospital.
“We have members who are nurses that have resigned because of victimisation. Other members said that they have not been paid overtime and we have been calling to have engagements with management to no avail and that is why we are picketing and handing over a memorandum of demands...”
Ndlovu added that they would be giving the department 10 days to respond to their memorandum of demands.
“We are asking that the KZN Department of Health come and engage with us. We want the concerns of our members addressed. If we do not get a response we will be here picketing after the 10 days have ended.”
Ndlovu said that the department also needs to create job opportunities for members of the community of KwaMashu.
Ndlovu added that the operations of the hospital were not affected by the picketing.
“We did not stop the operations of the hospital as we don’t want members of the public that need medical treatment to be denied this opportunity. We also did not want to stop any staff that wanted to be at work today from performing their duties.”
When approached for comment the KZN Department of Health said: “The picketing did not hinder hospital operations. Soon after the union representatives presented their memorandum of grievances, employees went back to their posts on time and began to work.”
It added that it would respond to the issues raised.