The Department of Health in KwaZulu-Natal welcomes the decision of the Public Allied Workers Union of South Africa (PAWUSA) to call off its illegal industrial action that has caused disruptions in some of the Forensic Pathology Mortuaries in the Province since April 7, 2014.
The Union announced its decision at the meeting it requested with the department’s management earlier in the day where it undertook to ensure that all the striking workers return to their respective posts as per their allocated shifts immediately.
As previously stated, all the issues that had been raised as reasons for disruptions are Human Resource related and transversal, requiring to be dealt with at Chamber Level with the participation of all the Unions in the sector, not just PAWUSA. These pertain to:
- The matter regarding translation and improvement of employees from Level 4 salary to Level 5
- The issue of the Forensic Pathology Service organisational structure
- Back pay of employees who were at the service in 2006.
At the meeting with PAWUSA, the Department sited July 31, 2014 as a possible date by which it thinks these issues would have been attended to but agreed to regular information sharing sessions.
As the MEC for Health, again, I wish to thank all the members of the public for their patience and understanding when faced with inconvenience as they visited our mortuaries.
I also with to profusely thank the South African Police Service under the leadership of Provincial Commissioner, General Mamonya Ngobeni for coming forward to assist in the collection of bodies from crime and accident scenes and also their willingness to again make use of their skills to dissect and construct bodies for post mortems.
Our gratitude is also extended to all the private funeral parlours who opened up their facilities for the storage of bodies and made it possible for the bereaved to attend to their departed loved ones in quiet and dignified settings.
We also salute all committed Forensic Pathology Service employees who understood that they offer an essential service and made it possible for all the families to get their bodies ready this weekend as planned.
Those that still experience inconvenience can call our Help Desk at 0800 005 133, alternatively 033 395 3046.
I thank you.
For clarity, please contact:
Desmond Motha
083 295 3901
