GAUTENG Department of Health (GDoH) has denied having a direct link to striking workers who recently protested outside their offices.
Spokesperson for the provincial department, Motalatale Modiba, said it had noted with concern reports indicating that the workers were working for the department, saying they were employed by service providers contracted to the department.
According to a Newzroom Afrika report, the workers were part of a group of SA Cleaners, Security and Allied Workers Union members who took to the streets to highlight their labour grievances as well as a meeting with the Gauteng Department of Health.
“The Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) has noted misleading reports and claims, including viral videos, that are circulating in the media regarding the protesting group of security officers outside the central office building in Johannesburg. The GDoH would like to set the record straight and provide facts on this matter.
“Firstly, it is important to clarify that the protesting security officers were never employed by the department. GDoH, previously had a month-to-month contract with private security service providers which expired at the end of March, 2024. The protesting officers were previously employed by these service providers, and their employment was not directly linked to the department. Therefore, the GDoH cannot commit to absorbing employees that were previous service providers,” Modiba said in a statement.
Union secretary Andries Potsane told the news channel the country’s security was at risk due to the many grievances that were being ignored by the government.
“As you all know, the Department of Health decided to terminate the contracts of the security officers on March 31, 2024. We have engaged our department about the issues and we handed over the memorandum. We also wrote letters to the MEC complaining about exploitation of our security officers in our country. After handing over the memorandum of demands, we find out that the Department of Health has terminated the contracts of these service providers. We engaged them considering that there is a high rate of unemployment in our country. We asked the MEC to consider the issue of former security officers,” Potsane said.
Modiba indicated that the department had put in place a long-term security contract which came into effect on April 1 and was valid until March 2027.
“The contract, which involves 113 security companies who have commenced work to safeguard the department’s 37 hospitals, over 300clinics, and other GDoH institutions. As a result, a total of 6 000 security officers are currently employed by these companies, of which 95% of them were absorbed from previous service providers.
“Although the department cannot get itself involved in the recruitment process of private companies to ensure that security officers that were contracted to service providers, whose contracts were terminated at the end of March are not left behind, the GDoH has pleaded with the new security companies to consider them for new employment opportunities,” said the department.