The Labour Court has turned down the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) application to appeal government’s strike interdict. The court ruling came as thousands of Nehawu members intensified their industrial action which has been marred by violence and intimidation. The interdict prevents union members from picketing, striking or embarking on any other form of industrial action. The strike, which entered its second week on Monday, has affected service delivery in various hospitals, particularly in Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. Members of the SA National Defence Force manned entry points to the Thelle Mogoerane Regional Hospital in Ekurhuleni when Health Minister Joe Phaahla visited to the facility on Monday morning.

The minister has since linked the deaths of at least four patients to the strike, and the department said operations at Thelle Mogoerane are still affected by the low turnout of employees. Phaahla reiterated his call for peaceful and non-violent strike to allow non-striking healthcare workers to exercise their right to work without being intimidated or victimised. The dire situation at hardest-hit hospitals has resulted in volunteers from concerned non-government organisations and members of local communities helping out at these facilities. Meanwhile, Nehawu has vowed to intensify its strike indefinitely, as the government stood firm on its offer to raise salaries by 3%. Nehawu demands a 10% pay hike, among others.

Nehawu general secretary Zola Sapetha said: “If no new agreement is reached by 31 March 2022 on the 2022/23 salary adjustment, this non-pensionable cash allowance shall remain in force until a new agreement is entered to by the parties. “There was no agreement on the 2022/23 salary adjustment and, therefore, the employer is once again in violation of the agreement it has signed,” Sapetha said. Follow @SundayWorldZA on Twitter and @sundayworldza on Instagram, or like our Facebook Page, Sunday World, by clicking here for the latest breaking news in South Africa. To Subscribe to Sunday World, click here.