Taking COSATU Today Forward Special Bulletin, 13 February 2025 #CosatuProvCongress #CosatuProvGenderConf
Norman Mampane
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COSATU TODAY #Cosatu Free State holds a Provincial Congress #ClassStruggle “Build Working Class Unity for Economic Liberation towards Socialism” #Back2Basics #JoinCOSATUNow #ClassConsciousness |
Taking COSATU Today Forward Special Bulletin
‘Whoever sides with the revolutionary people in deed as well as in word is a revolutionary in the full sense’-Maoo
Our side of the story
13 February 2025
“Build Working Class Unity for Economic Liberation towards Socialism”
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Contents
- Workers Parliament: Back to Basics!
- DENOSA Gauteng on the crisis at Tembisa Hospital and provincial healthcare challenges
- Department of Employment and Labour to engage farm employers and farm employees on compliance in Limpopo Province
- South Africa
- NEHAWU KZN statement on the temporal closure of the Old Legislature Office at Ondini
- International-Workers’ Solidarity!
- Stellantis dismisses alternatives in determination to close Luton van plant to increase profits
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics
DENOSA Gauteng on the crisis at Tembisa Hospital and provincial healthcare challenges.
'Facility now operating with less than half the required workforce, with more employees resigning due to unbearable working conditions…'
𝗕𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶 𝗠𝗮𝘇𝗶𝗯𝘂𝗸𝗼, DENOSA Gauteng 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗿, 𝟭𝟯 𝗙𝗲𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱.
JOHANNESBURG
The Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA) in Gauteng raises serious concerns about the worsening conditions at Tembisa Hospital which is operating with less than half the required staff complement, which further reflects a broader healthcare crisis across the province.
DENOSA demands the Gauteng Department of Health to give the facilities the urgent attention as healthcare services are crumbling and staff are getting demoralized.
The hospital is severely understaffed, operating with less than half the required workforce for a tertiary institution. Out of the 4,926 staff members needed, only 2,375 positions are currently filled, with critical shortages including 36 professional nurses, 6 staff nurses, 14 medical officers, and 11 cleaners. The prolonged absence of a permanent CEO—now exceeding two years—along with vacant key management positions, has left healthcare workers without adequate leadership and support.
The working environment at Tembisa Hospital has become increasingly unworkable, with chronic understaffing, lack of essential resources, and weak management support placing extreme pressure on healthcare workers. The situation has resulted in high resignation rates, with 225 staff members—including 147 nurses and 43 doctors—leaving since the beginning of the year due to unbearable working conditions. This exodus of skilled professionals has further compromised patient care and increased burnout among remaining staff.
Beyond Tembisa, DENOSA Gauteng highlights the non-absorption of community service nurses and doctors, a province-wide issue that reflects poor workforce planning by the Gauteng Department of Health. Despite the urgent need for healthcare professionals, many newly qualified nurses and doctors remain unemployed after completing their community service, largely due to inadequate budget allocations and lack of permanent posts. This failure to integrate trained personnel into the workforce exacerbates staffing shortages and undermines efforts to improve healthcare services.
Another critical concern is the poor functionality of the Gauteng College of Nursing (GCON), which is responsible for the training and production of nurses in the province. Persistent challenges in nursing education, including inadequate funding, limited training opportunities, and inefficient management, have resulted in fewer nurses entering the workforce at a time when the healthcare system is already struggling. Addressing these inefficiencies is vital to ensuring a steady pipeline of qualified nursing professionals.
DENOSA Gauteng therefore demands urgent action from the Gauteng Department of Health:
1. Immediate recruitment to fill critical vacancies in hospitals across the province.
2. A clear strategy for the absorption of community service nurses and doctors into permanent positions.
3. Enhanced support for healthcare workers, including improved management
structures and working conditions.
4. Strengthening of the Gauteng College of Nursing (GCON) to ensure the production
of adequately trained nurses to meet provincial healthcare demands.
5. Greater accountability and oversight to address systemic failures and improve service delivery.
Failure to address these urgent issues will further weaken the province’s healthcare system, placing both workers and patients at severe risk. DENOSA Gauteng remains committed to advocating for a well-functioning healthcare system that prioritizes its workforce and delivers quality care to all communities.
End.
𝗜𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗢𝗦𝗔 𝗶𝗻 𝗚𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗴.
𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁:
𝗕𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶 𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮, 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻.
𝗠𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗲: 071 677 5071
𝗕𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶 𝗠𝗮𝘇𝗶𝗯𝘂𝗸𝗼, 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆.
𝗠𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗲: 071 686 9544
______________________
Department of Employment and Labour to engage farm employers and farm employees on compliance in Limpopo Province
13 February 2025
The Department of Employment and Labour's Compensation Fund will engage farm employers and farm employees on compliance with the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act (COIDA) 10 of 2022 as amended in Tzaneen, Limpopo Province.
The main purpose of these engagements is to educate farm employers and farm employees on their rights and responsibilities according to COIDA respectively.
Farm employees are widely considered vulnerable due to factors like amongst others, low wages, limited access to health care, exposure to hazardous working conditions, and susceptibility to exploitation, particularly in regions with large agricultural sectors where labour practice may not be adequately adhered to.
A help desk service will also be available to check claims and any COID related enquiry.
Details of the workshops are as follows and members of the media are invited:
Farm Employers
Date: Friday, 14 February 2025
Time: 09h00- 14h00
Venue: High Grove Lodge, Agatha Street, Arbor Park, Tzaneen
Farm Employees
Date: Saturday, 15 February 2025
Time: 09h00- 14h00
Venue: High Grove Lodge, Agatha Street, Arbor Park, Tzaneen
For RSVP, please contact Hlonitshwa Mpaka at 072 6705464 or Hlonitsh...@labour.gov.za
For inquiries, please contact:
Teboho Thejane
Departmental Spokesperson
082 697 0694 / teboho....@labour.gov.za
-ENDS-
Issued by: Department of Employment and Labour
NEHAWU KZN statement on the temporal closure of the Old Legislature Office at Ondini
Ayanda Zulu, NEHAWU KZN Provincial Secretary, February 13, 2025
The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union [NEHAWU] in KwaZulu-Natal notes the decision by the Acting Head of Department of Public Works and Infrastructure to temporarily close the government offices at Ondini because of non-compliance.
The union received concerns from the members of the union that the conditions they are exposed to due to leaking roof are inhumane and unbearable. The leadership of the union conducted an inspection and found the condition of the building to be a serious threat to our members and totally unsafe. The water had seeped through the roof onto the offices making working impossible, the consistent downpours of recent rains made it even worse. The affected areas are carpeted and the stench of dampness has seriously affected some employees who had to seek medical attention and have experienced respiratory difficulties. Further to that we were very concerned about the dangers of our members being electrocuted due to waterlogged office floors. The ageing and the dilapidating state of the building due to lack of maintenance and total neglect.
As NEHAWU, we have raised it on several occasions that the building in uLundi poses a threat to our members and have recommended that the Department of Labour close the building down due to infrastructural defects and the strength of it due to age, as the building was built in 1983 with very minimal maintenance.
We have been made aware that there is NOTICE for Contravention which was issued by the Department of Labour after conducting an inspection which has not been complied with, we are busy following up on that and will dig deep until we find the report and ensure that Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993 as Amended is complied with in that regard.
As NEHAWU, we are fully behind our members throughout these difficult times and we wish to state categorically clear that we will hold the acting HOD personally responsible should our members be exposed to such conditions again, and we shall be monitoring the situation and will ensure that no employee returns to those offices until the maintenance of the building has been completed and the building has been certified safe by relevant bodies. The union will further through our public service delivery campaign raise the issue of non-compliance with Occupational Health and Safety by the Department of Public works and Infrastructure.
END
Issued by NEHAWU KwaZulu-Natal Secretariat Office
For more information, please contact: Ayanda Zulu (Provincial Secretary) at 081 758 5199 or email: Aya...@nehawu.org.za or Ntokozo Nxumalo (Provincial Deputy Secretary) at 0815255983 or email: Nto...@Nehawu.org.za
International-Solidarity
Stellantis dismisses alternatives in determination to close Luton van plant to increase profits
13 February, 2025
Stellantis has announced that the van plant in Luton near London will close its doors in the second quarter of 2025, leaving more than 1,000 workers without a job.
In February 2022, Stellantis announced that the Luton plant was to become the second British Stellantis factory to produce electric vehicles. However, in November last year, the Group announced its plan to close the site completely, despite the high productivity of the plant.
Upon the announcement in November 2024, Unite the union issued a response stressing that:
“The proposal that has been tabled has been a complete slap in face for our members in Luton, where Vauxhall vehicles have been manufactured for 120 years.”
Both the new Stellantis European works council and industriAll Europe and IndustriALL Global Union have called for alternatives to be explored. Management responses paint a harmonious picture, suggesting that alternatives have been carefully considered and dialogue with workers has been engaged and constructive. However, the reality is a stark contrast.
Every counter proposal that was made to avert the closure of the plant has been squarely rejected by Stellantis management. High level approaches have been made by Unite the Union to senior Stellantis management to save the plant only to be dismissed without any face-to-face dialogue being granted. In addition, the UK Government has sought to persuade Stellantis to allow for more time to assess what could be done to save the plant, including offering financial support. Both proposals were rejected by management.
For the over a thousand workers facing redundancy, this has left a very bitter taste after years of loyalty and a strong economic performance of the site.
“It is clear that open and fair dialogue to save the plant has been stymied rendering the representatives to conclude that the decision to close which is believed to have originated from the ‘Strategic Planning Group’ has been in the pipeline for a long time and that management have merely been deceiving a highly productive workforce along the way into believing they had a future,”
says Gary Reay, Unite the Union plant convener.
Workers around the world in Stellantis sites have been watching the situation closely and showing solidarity with Luton’s workforce. The situation risks overall worker trust in the management at a crucial time for the company in the aftermath of the departure of CEO Carlos Tavares last year.
Judith Kirton-Darling, industriAll Europe’s general secretary says:
“Stellantis’ behaviour towards its loyal workforce in Luton is reprehensible - they are sacrificing a productive site and manufacturing excellence on the alter of shareholder value and profit maximisation. Alternatives put forward by the workforce and government have been dismissed without full consideration demonstrating the cavalier attitude of management. It’s time for Stellantis management to take their responsibility towards their workforce and the local community in Luton, and elsewhere, seriously. Their future as a company depends on the ingenuity and commitment of their workers and we are all watching this appalling behaviour."
Says IndustriALL Global Union general secretary Atle Høie:
“The 1,100 workers in Luton at risk of losing their jobs are our colleagues in a community with families and friends. This devastating decision should not be made lightly and company management needs to engage with the union, who time and again has asked for dialogue, to find an acceptable solution for the future.”
______________________________
Norman Mampane (Shopsteward Editor)
Congress of South African Trade Unions
110 Jorissen Cnr Simmonds Street, Braamfontein, 2017
P.O.Box 1019, Johannesburg, 2000, South Africa
Tel: +27 11 339-4911 Direct line: 010 219-1348