HOSPERSA CONSIDERS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH OFFER FOR PATHOLOGY OFFICERS

The Health and Other Service Personnel Trade Union of South Africa (Hospersa) is pleased that the Department of Health (DoH) has managed to put together an offer addressing the misappropriation of Forensic Pathology Officers. Services in Gauteng mortuaries were disrupted by the labour disputed after it was reported that the FPO’s were on a go-slow. The Union will communicate the offer to its members and seek a mandate on whether or not to accept.

According to reports from the Public Health and Social Development Sectoral Bargaining Council (PHSDSBC), the Department of Health (DoH) has put forward an offer for the Forensic Pathology Officers (FPO’s) to try to end the labour dispute that has disrupted service delivery in mortuaries for the past three weeks. The DoH has put forward the introduction of a monthly danger allowance to qualifying employees who operate within forensic pathology services and implemented with effect from 1 April 2017. The employer has also offered to pay a remedial once off amount to qualifying FPO’s and other employees who were performing the same function. The FPO’s will also receive appropriate protective clothing as well as counseling and debriefing services. Included in the offer is the negotiation of a sustainable model to allow the FPO’s to register with a statutory body as professionals and to have career pathing as well as a job evaluation within six months after the agreement is signed.

“We commend the DoH for coming up with an offer to try and resolve the labour dispute. We will go back to our members to receive a mandate from them on whether or not to accept the offer,” said Hospersa Colllective Bargaining spokesperson Suzan Ntlatleng.

“We apologise to members of the public that have been negatively affected by the labour dispute. We will work speedily communicate the offer to our members so that service delievery can be fully restored,” concluded Ntlatleng.