Children at Canaan Care Centre in Belgravia were left in the care of volunteers after a three-day standoff between management and staff at the facility last week.
Five carers, who staged a sit-in outside the centre since Wednesday, said this was because of a pay dispute. The carers, who have been at the centre for nine years, claim their salaries have never increased beyond R3500.
The staff members also complained of being forced to complete tasks which fell outside of their scope of duties, such as cooking and cleaning, with management accused of rude comments when presented with their grievances.
One carer, Doris Gwala, said they had in the past few years also been tasked with physiotherapy on top of their normal duties which include feeding and changing the children’s diapers.
The centre caters for 21 children with severe mental and physical disabilities such as cerebral palsy, autism and Down’s syndrome.
“The problem is that my salary hasn’t increased; instead it changes from month to month because we are now being paid on an hourly basis although this was never communicated to us,” Gwala said.
“I was trained to be a caregiver but now I find myself doing all sorts of other things. When we complain, the manager even goes so far as to swear at us.”
Mavis Wellem, one of two carers who live in at the centre, complained of spending sleepless nights with the often restless children and of working long hours during the day caring for them with no one to relieve her.
“Most nights we are left here with no food to cook for the children. There is a set menu we are supposed to feed them from but then we find there are no ingredients in the kitchen to make the food.”
Manager Ellie Saayman disputed all of the claims, saying no complaints had ever been brought to her attention.
According to Saayman, the dispute occurred after the carers saw a payslip belonging to a newly employed office worker
“When they realised that she earns more than them, they became very upset,” Saayman explained, adding that staff had received a 12% pay increase last year.
She said the shopping list was their responsibility.
“I understand that the staff are disgruntled but I can’t have them around the children when they are upset. I asked them to leave and brought in my team of volunteers until this matter is resolved.”
Department of Social Development spokesman Gcobani Maswana said the department could not intervene in the pay dispute but would investigate the allegations related to the care of the children.
“They are an independent institution so we cannot interfere, that is why many of them have boards,” he said. — zisandan@dispatch.co.za
Care centre in salary dispute
Five carers, who staged a sit-in outside the centre since Wednesday, said this was because of a pay dispute. The carers, who have been at the centre for nine years, claim their salaries have never increased beyond R3500.
The staff members also complained of being forced to complete tasks which fell outside of their scope of duties, such as cooking and cleaning, with management accused of rude comments when presented with their grievances.
One carer, Doris Gwala, said they had in the past few years also been tasked with physiotherapy on top of their normal duties which include feeding and changing the children’s diapers.
The centre caters for 21 children with severe mental and physical disabilities such as cerebral palsy, autism and Down’s syndrome.
“The problem is that my salary hasn’t increased; instead it changes from month to month because we are now being paid on an hourly basis although this was never communicated to us,” Gwala said.
“I was trained to be a caregiver but now I find myself doing all sorts of other things. When we complain, the manager even goes so far as to swear at us.”
Mavis Wellem, one of two carers who live in at the centre, complained of spending sleepless nights with the often restless children and of working long hours during the day caring for them with no one to relieve her.
“Most nights we are left here with no food to cook for the children. There is a set menu we are supposed to feed them from but then we find there are no ingredients in the kitchen to make the food.”
Manager Ellie Saayman disputed all of the claims, saying no complaints had ever been brought to her attention.
According to Saayman, the dispute occurred after the carers saw a payslip belonging to a newly employed office worker
“When they realised that she earns more than them, they became very upset,” Saayman explained, adding that staff had received a 12% pay increase last year.
She said the shopping list was their responsibility.
“I understand that the staff are disgruntled but I can’t have them around the children when they are upset. I asked them to leave and brought in my team of volunteers until this matter is resolved.”
Department of Social Development spokesman Gcobani Maswana said the department could not intervene in the pay dispute but would investigate the allegations related to the care of the children.
“They are an independent institution so we cannot interfere, that is why many of them have boards,” he said. — zisandan@dispatch.co.za
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