CHARLOTTE MAXEKE STRIKE
Health minister condemns hospital protest as ‘act of hooliganism’
Protesters on Thursday paralysed one of SA’s largest hospitals, Charlotte Maxeke, blocking ambulances and reportedly disrupting operations. More than 100 support staff stopped work to demand that the hospital, also known as Joburg General, pay performance bonuses and overtime, the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) said. Striking staff, including nurses and porters, picketed inside the hospital building, up-ended bins and barricaded doors to prevent police from entering the site. Tshepo Mokheranyana, Nehawu’s regional leader, said the union was forced to take action after the government failed to intervene despite a rally at the health department in March. “Employers must never take workers for granted because if workers have worked hard ... they should be rewarded for that. No one should take that for granted.” The DA’s health spokesman, Jack Bloom, said he had received unconfirmed reports of protestors interrupting surgery, forcing medical staff to retre...
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