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The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union [NEHAWU] is currently preparing for a strike at Clinix Health Group on a number of disputes including matters of mutual interest. The strike will begin on the 3rd December 2018 after we were awarded a certificate to strike on the 19th November 2018 by the CCMA.

The national union recently declared a dispute with the CCMA on the unilateral change to conditions of employment after the employer implemented new job profiles which were as a result of a process which was unilaterally implemented over a period of time without any form of consultation with the union. Our members and workers are now subjected to unfair performance assessments based on the new job profiles.

This unilateral change to conditions of employment has led to added and extra responsibilities without any form of remuneration adjustments for workers. The dispute was referred to the CCMA and was heard on the 19th November 2018. After deliberations the CCMA awarded NEHAWU a certificate to go on strike. Our members and workers have been patient with the employer for far too long and the patience has now ran out hence they have elected to go on a strike action.

The 2018/19 salary negotiations have also deadlocked after the employer refused to concede to our reasonable and genuine demands. The employer has made it unequivocally clear that they are not willing to concede to our demands notwithstanding the fact that the union has been accepting wage settlements below the sector market trends due to the financial challenges faced by the company over the past three years which led to retrenchments.

The company received a financial boost late last year of over 30% shares bought by the Public Investment Commission [PIC] on behalf of the Unemployment Insurance Fund [UIF]. This act of intransigency by the employer has incited workers to consider going on a strike action. The wage strike action is scheduled to coincide with the other strike on Unilateral Change to Conditions of Employment on the 3rd December 2018.

Our demands are as follows amongst others,

·       an increase of 9% across the board

·       a minimum salary of R5500

·       a R1500 Housing Allowance

·       an increase from R1400 to R2000 for medical aid

·       Uniform Top-up of R2000 for general staff which should include an option for shoes and two tops and two bottoms for Special Units ( e.g. Scrub suit)

Our members are ready and highly mobilized for the impending strike because the employer has opted to embark on a process of union bashing through victimisation and harassment of our members and shop stewards which has resulted in the unfair dismissal of two shop stewards, suspension of three others and three members. We appeal to the employer to concede to our demands on both disputes to avert any disruptions to the normal functioning of the hospitals of the Clinix Health Group.

Issued by NEHAWU