GEORGE NEWS - Nehawu (National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union) members in George demonstrated at various government department buildings from Monday onwards during the week to show solidarity with the union's nationwide strike over a wage dispute with Government.
About 20 to 25 members took part. According to the regional secretary, Mkonso Mfedu, they did not want to disrupt services, but tried to create awareness of the wage dispute.
The group demonstrated in front of the York Park building and the buildings of the home affairs and labour department. York Park houses the regional education, social development and human settlements departments.
Nehawu had gone on an indefinite strike on Monday, impacting severely on services, especially health services at hospitals in various provinces. Several protesters have been arrested for public violence. According to news reports, some Gauteng hospitals experienced a "total shutdown".
The Western Cape Health Department in a media statement yesterday 9 March said the healthcare worker strike in the province has been mainly isolated to the Khayelitsha area resulting in some disruption of healthcare services.
Transferring of patients
The department said protest action has been ongoing in the community of Khayelitsha at Michael Mapongwana Clinic and Khayelitsha District Hospital. Although there has been no damage to infrastructure, the protest has resulted in the transferring of critical patients to other facilities such as Helderberg, Tygerberg, Mitchell's Plain and Karl Bremer Hospitals.
On Tuesday night, protesters disrupted services and blocked staff from entering Khayelitsha District Hospital and continued during Wednesday.
There have been peaceful protests at Karl Bremer and Tygerberg Hospitals.
The department said it was preparing for an urgent application to interdict Nehawu's illegal strike action.
'Patient deaths not linked to protest'
It said "reckless" rumours circulating of people losing their lives at Khayelitsha Hospital as a direct result of the protest action are strongly condemned as misinformation. None of the deaths have been linked to the protest.
Mfedu said the demonstrations in George will continue on Monday until instructions from Nehawu's head-office indicate otherwise.
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