Labour Court Judge Benita Witcher has set out her reasons for dismissing an urgent application by the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union to prevent all health care workers from carrying out their duties during the national state of disaster if they are not provided with the necessary personal protective equipment .
While Judge Witcher dismissed Nehawu's application and ordered them to pay the costs of the first respondent, the national Department of Health, she was at pains to point out that healthcare workers are entitled to personal protective clothing as they play a critical role in the fight against Covid-19.
Hospersa said it had not received any response from the Minister of Health or provincial MECs for Health regarding the insufficient supply of PPEs at public health facilities. Saphetha stated that the union had agreed to suspend legal action, after the Minister of Health and the Department of Health resolved to address concerns regarding the health and safety of workers.
“Workers are compelled to work under difficult conditions, including exhaustion, lack of transport and dilapidating infrastructure. "The department undertook to send out guidelines to provinces to ensure uniform application of the same norms in relation to the types of PPEs per categories of front-line workers. They will also ensure that there is a proportional redistribution or reconciliation of the different items of the PPEs across provinces and health districts.""Workers must not be harassed. Instead, there must be a collaborative effort in the fight against the virus and disease.
This judge want African health care workers who are only found in public service to be infected and go to infect their families . Then many Africans will eventually die. Don't trust these people.
How do you prove that government has not provided PPE? You have nothing to show that you haven't received them.
Very soon people are not gonna take these courts seriously.