Cleaners at Sekgoma Hospital down tools
Koketso Kgoboge | Friday September 18, 2015 15:21
The 52 employees’ are protesting against low salaries, poor working conditions and being made to work without contracts, among other qualms.
According to one employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity, on behalf of the cleaners on strike, the workers have raised these issues before their supervisors before, but they were brushed off.
“We started working for this company in August last year but we have never signed a contract. When we started work, we were given an offer letter, which stipulated that we would be engaged on a three months probation period, and after it lapsed, would be given a three-year contract. This never happened.
“Instead, after our probation, we were all given a one year contract but we refused to sign it because we were previously promised three years. We were then told that the contract would be amended but we are yet to sign the amended contract,” he said.
The source said they were promised a wage increase after probation, but that has remained a pipe dream too.
“We are underpaid. Our basic salary is P900 and when we do night shifts we are given P30 per shift. We have been getting this amount on probation and we were promised it would be increased on completion of our probation but it is still the same,” he explained.
The staff is also up in arms over the fact that there are deductions from their meagre pay.
“We have been told that from the P900, there are uniform deductions and insurance deductions made, but these do not reflect on our pay slips. According to the papers we have from the hospital, we should be earning P1,700,” he said.
He added that the workers are also expected to pay for their medicals from their pocket.
The source said of the 80 employees at the company, 52 are on strike, while those who have gone to work are the newly employed ones, who are still serving probation.
When contacted for comment, the director of Modi Thito, Olebogeng Gare unpleasantly quizzed, “Wena di go ama jang dikgang tsa teng? (How do these issues concern you?)” before adding, “We spoke to the employees yesterday, boela ko go bone ka di complaints-nyana tsa bone batla go fa feedback.
(Go back to them with their complaints they will give you feedback),” she fumed.
Sekgoma Memorial Hospital, public relations officer, Kesegofetse Mpho, confirmed the strike.
“We confirm that some employees of Modi Thito Cleaning and Hygiene Services did strike on Monday,” she said.
Mpho insisted that the strike did not affect the hospital’s services or daily routines, adding that management had communicated the matter to the directors of the company.