EASTERN Cape Health MEC Sicelo Gqobana has instructed senior managers to take action against officials responsible for the non-payment of nurses’ salaries since February this year.
And the nurses are far from the first to complain of no salaries and outstanding allowances.
Department spokesman Sizwe Kupelo blamed hospital human resource departments.
“They submit staff files late and that is criminal. We cannot afford not to pay staff salaries. Already a chief director for human resources was placed on precautionary suspension for failure to pay doctors’ salaries in January,” Kupelo said, adding Gqobana had instructed managers to take action against those responsible for the non-payment of salaries.
Yesterday the Daily Dispatch spoke to nurses appointed in February who have yet to receive a salary cheque.
The nurses, who wanted to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, said they graduated in 2011 and in 2012 they started their one-year community service. Early this year they were placed in different clinics and hospitals across the province as entry-level nurses.
One, who works in a Peddie hospital, said they went to their union, the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (Denosa), to assist them but were told to go to the department of labour.
“We went to the department on numerous occasions but we never got a straight answer,” the nurse said.
Another nurse said lack of payment made it hard to work.
She said last month she and her husband were kicked out of their home after they failed to pay rent on time.
“Life at home is not easy because we have to constantly think about rent, groceries and transport,” she said.
Kupelo said they were aware of the nurses problem and were processing the matter.
Early this year the Dispatch reported on a group of former municipal nurses who complained the department had failed to pay them what was due to them.
They said Buffalo City Metro had approved the implementation of their Occupational Specific Dispensation (OSD) payments – also known as allowances – before they were moved to the provincial health department, so they should have received them from province.
Yesterday they said they were yet to see the money . —
Nurses and doctors still not paid
And the nurses are far from the first to complain of no salaries and outstanding allowances.
Department spokesman Sizwe Kupelo blamed hospital human resource departments.
“They submit staff files late and that is criminal. We cannot afford not to pay staff salaries. Already a chief director for human resources was placed on precautionary suspension for failure to pay doctors’ salaries in January,” Kupelo said, adding Gqobana had instructed managers to take action against those responsible for the non-payment of salaries.
Yesterday the Daily Dispatch spoke to nurses appointed in February who have yet to receive a salary cheque.
The nurses, who wanted to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, said they graduated in 2011 and in 2012 they started their one-year community service. Early this year they were placed in different clinics and hospitals across the province as entry-level nurses.
One, who works in a Peddie hospital, said they went to their union, the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (Denosa), to assist them but were told to go to the department of labour.
“We went to the department on numerous occasions but we never got a straight answer,” the nurse said.
Another nurse said lack of payment made it hard to work.
She said last month she and her husband were kicked out of their home after they failed to pay rent on time.
“Life at home is not easy because we have to constantly think about rent, groceries and transport,” she said.
Kupelo said they were aware of the nurses problem and were processing the matter.
Early this year the Dispatch reported on a group of former municipal nurses who complained the department had failed to pay them what was due to them.
They said Buffalo City Metro had approved the implementation of their Occupational Specific Dispensation (OSD) payments – also known as allowances – before they were moved to the provincial health department, so they should have received them from province.
Yesterday they said they were yet to see the money . —
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