WHY IS MORTUARY STRIKE STILL CONTINUING?

It is incomprehensible that the illegal strike by forensic assistants is still continuing at the 10 Gauteng state mortuaries that do postmortems on all unnatural deaths in the province.

A negotiated agreement was signed last week on Thursday (29 June) by all unions except the Public Servants Association (PSA).

NEHAWU has said repeatedly that the strike is over, but forensic assistants are still refusing to assist with autopsies despite winning a pay hike, a danger allowance and a special allowance, and protective clothing and uniform. Furthermore, the agreement provides for them to register with a statutory body as professionals and to have career pathing and job evaluation within 6 months.

It is major bad faith for the strike to continue, causing incredible anguish as families wait more than a week to bury their loved ones.

Gauteng Health MEC Gwen Ramokgopa has handled this strike abysmally. All the other provinces managed to avoid a strike, but she showed weakness in not enforcing a court order against the strikers that was obtained by the Gauteng Health Department in December last year when an incipient mortuary strike was quashed.

This court order needs to be applied now as mortuaries are an essential service.

The real heroes are the pathologists who have worked largely without assistance for more than three weeks doing as many autopsies as they can in adverse circumstances, including a fair amount of intimidation.

The forensic assistants have won their victory. Now they must return to work and help reduce the backlog of autopsies as soon as possible.

Statement issued by Jack Bloom MPL, DA Gauteng Shadow Health MEC, 4 July 2017