The Congress of South African Trade Unions strongly condemns the arrest in Bloemfontein of 100 community healthcare workers, members of the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), following a night vigil and sit-in at the head office of the Free State’s health department on Thursday 9 July 2014.

TAC Free State chairperson Sello Mokhalipi alleges that police officers arrived at the vigil and said they “got the order from Health MEC Benny Malakoane and the head of the Free State health department to come and arrest us”.

Those arrested, mostly elderly women, were taken to Park Road and Mangaung Police Stations, where and locked in cells, and told they would be charged under section 12 of the Constitution for an illegal gathering.

COSATU has been highlighting the plight of these exploited workers. The Civil Society Conference we convened in October 2010, declared the “Community health workers are a critical component of public health care, but are exploited by the failure to respect their rights as workers. Community health workers must be formally brought into the health care system as employees of the Department of Health and unionised.”

And COSATU General Secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi, on 2 July 2014, threw a challenge to the Eastern Cape Congress of DENOSA: “There are over 70,000 community health care workers in this country who live on inadequate stipends and who suffer appalling working conditions. They live in a twilight world of vulnerability, at the same time as providing a critical support service in the health system.

“They are largely invisible and unorganised. This month COSATU is launching a national campaign to organise vulnerable workers. I want to seriously challenge you to think about reaching out to community health care workers as a highly exploited group of vulnerable workers.”

The Bloemfontein protest followed a move by Malakoane in April to end the community healthcare workers’ contracts, declaring them ‘ghost workers’. “They had been relieved of their duties as community healthcare workers without any notice,” says the TAC, “and attempts to engage decision makers have been fruitless”.

The workers staged the sit-in after months of trying to engage Malakoane and his officials, but they have been ignored. COSATU endorses the view of the TAC that “Those taking part in the sit-in were exercising their constitutional right to speak out against the failings in and collapse of the Free State health system.”

The Mail & Guardian has alleged that Free State public healthcare patients are being deprived from access to HIV medication, doctors and basic services such as water to wash with after having given birth.

Free State community health worker Selina Hlabahlaba told the M&G that community health workers’ services are essential to get patients access to medication, comply with HIV and TB treatment, and to get tested for the conditions:

“We are the ones going to the clinics to help them get the drugs or taking it their houses if they’re too sick to go to the clinics. We’re the ones who do the HIV testing and counselling and making sure children get their vaccinations. Now the MEC ignores us. It’s like all the work we’ve done is for nothing,” she said.
TAC activist Mashobane Morake was allegedly assaulted by police during the arrests and has bruises on his face. The TAC has condemned the police for the excessive use of force in arresting the peaceful protesters.

COSATU joins them in demanding their immediate release and the dropping of all charges.