Strike Averted, Lives Saved

GREG KELEBONYE
Staff Writer | Monday September 20, 2010 00:00

 

It is dreadful to imagine what would have happened to thousands of patients across the country had the much talked about public service strike taken place. Even as deputy Health Minister, Gaotlhaetse Matlhabaphiri addressed a hastily convened press conference on Friday evening, it was clear that health services in the country would have come to a halt as medical doctors, nurses, paramedics and other health staff under the aegis of the Botswana Federation of Public Service Unions (BOFEPUSO) would join other public servants on an indefinite strike beginning today. And government had no contingency plan whatsoever. The strike is over back-pay due to the workers.

Asked what government would do to avert a potential crisis situation in the event the health workers go on strike, Matlhabaphiri would not go beyond begging them not to strike.

' ...This afternoon I would like to make an impassioned plea to all our health workers to desist from putting our Nation through the pain of a health delivery crisis,' he said.

The strike would have seen more than 18,000 health workers - doctors, nurses, paramedics, drivers and counsellors amongst others, down tools. 

Matlhabaphiri also issued a thinly veiled threat to the workers:

The strike would have seen the health workers trading their tools for placards and toyi-toying. Perhaps also revealing the loss at which government found itself, Matlhabaphiri spoke from both sides of the mouth, where on the one hand he pleaded with the workers not to strike while on the other he issued a thinly veiled threat to the workers:

'There are indeed legal statutes that govern the conduct of staff within the essential services,' said Matlhabaphiri before making his plea. Pressed to say if he meant that government would take action against striking workers Matlhabaphiri would however not come out clear other than to say that the unions representing the workers had not followed the Civil Service Act to the letter.

'The issue should be discussed, if that fails an arbitrator should be called. It is only after arbitration has failed that workers can take industrial action or go to court,' he said, adding that health workers are in the essential services cadre.

'Even my driver can be called to go and drive an ambulance,' he said.

He said the health workers should not go on strike because they took an oath to save lives and not to endanger them.'Even this morning nurses were graduating and said the Nightingale Pledge. We are there to save lives. To go on strike is to go against the pledge,' he said.

Asked why he was calling the media late in the day, when government knew all along there was a planned strike and that such a strike would mean sure death or greater misery for patients, Matlhabaphiri shifted the blame to the Directorate of Public Service Management (DPSM).

'We only learnt this afternoon during a meeting with DPSM that there was a planned industrial action,' he said.

He said it was unnecessary for health workers to go on strike, as government was cognisant of their concerns.

'I want to reassure you that the Ministry of Health is committed to addressing all these matters in a timely manner,' he said, adding that government would keep the health professionals abreast of developments pertaining to these efforts.

Matlhabaphiri said that issues affecting health workers were peculiar and needed open and honest discussion. The situation is compounded by the fact that health workers now joining his ministry also bring with them issues that they wanted dealt with by the Ministry of Local Government.

Nurses have through various fora agitated for better pay and improved conditions of service. Two years back nurses stopped doing certain jobs that they say should be done by doctors, unless government appreciates that the jobs are additional work and appropriately rewards nurses for doing them. These include among others dispensing and treating patients.

Meanwhile the Trade and Allied Workers Union (TAWU) which is a non-BOFEPUSO member, advised its members, most of whom are lecturers, instructors and support staff in tertiary institutions not to participate in the strike action.

'Government has conceded to owing all permanent and pensionable employees two days of each month worked from May 01, 2010 i.e. a total of eight days to date. The current impasse therefore is when government will effect payment. TAWU's position is that since this is a dispute of right it should be resolved through litigation and not through strike action. Our view is that the courts can force the employer to comply with the law,' TAWU president, Allan Keitseng said in a communiqu last week. Keitseng said that the strike was therefore illegal. Especially as it failed to follow the Trade and Dispute Act's sections 39 through 41, which gives direction about how disputes should be conducted.

He said any members of his union who participate in the strike action would be doing so on their own. He however said that TAWU would be meeting with DPSM to discuss among other issues the fact that BOFEPUSO is now calling on public servants to strike.

'It is only after consultative meetings that a decision shall be made on the appropriate course of action to be taken, which may include putting DPSM on notice for litigation and/or declaring a deadlock on matters of interest,' he said.