South Africa: health workers demonstrate against their working conditions
Demonstrators march at the call of Nehawu, the main public sector union, demonstrate in pretoria, September 3, 2020. REUTERS / Siphiwe Sibeko
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3 min
Health workers demonstrated on Thursday, September 3, at the call of one of the main public sector union, the Nehawu.
Around 100 people gathered outside the presidency buildings in Pretoria to demand better working conditions and a pay rise.
They regret that the government is not paying more attention to their demands, despite having been on the front line of the coronavirus epidemic in a country which has been severely affected.
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With our correspondent in Pretoria
,
Claire Bargelès
A crowd all dressed in red sings revolutionary songs.
Among the protesters, Mokgope Frans, a public sector nurse and member of the Nehawu union, is angry that the government has not reversed its decision to freeze civil servants' salaries.
“
We workers are tired, enough is enough.
So far, we have not received any increases or compensation, although many efforts and sacrifices have been made.
The wage increase agreement must be implemented as soon as possible.
"
More than 27,000 South African health workers have been infected with the coronavirus, and 240 have died.
As for those who continue to work, like Irene Mothibe, they often face a lack of personnel.
“
Nurses who contract the virus have to isolate themselves at home, so we find ourselves understaffed, and we are expected to work normally.
We are "essential workers" only on paper, in reality, when it is necessary to pay nurses, it is something else.
"
But what exasperates Aron Masemola the most, also a nurse, are the revelations of numerous corruption scandals linked to the provision of protective equipment: “
It makes us very angry, because many institutions are now in need of 'equipment.
All of those people who are involved in the theft of dedicated equipment money should be arrested as soon as possible.
"
If its demands are not met by next Thursday, the union threatens to call a general strike in the sector.
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South Africa
Health and medicine
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