Nurses throw down gauntlet

NURSES employed at State health institutions yesterday ‘declared war’ against the Ministry of Health and vowed to go on strike if their superiors fail to listen to them.

Meeting under the banner of the Namibia Nurses’ Union (Nanu), the nurses said the Ministry of Health was “playing with fire” by ignoring their demands over payment for work done on Sundays and public holidays. “If we withdraw our skills, the Government hospitals will be closed and they will be under pressure from the public.They must not play.We have the capacity to paralyse (the health institutions).If they use their power of office, we will use our power of skills,” Nanu Secretary General Abner Shopati told a media briefing yesterday.Shopati told a packed hall at the Windhoek Central Hospital that the top personnel at the Ministry of Health have refused to talk to the union.”Now we will deal with them.We are the backbone of healthcare delivery in Namibia.However, it is clear that nobody is interested in our matters.We are at the receiving end.We will see (who wins).We can’t be cheated by everyone,” he said.Nanu has given the Ministry of Health until November 24 to respond to its demands or face a national demonstration.The union held national consultations between August and September to get support for suing the Ministry of Health on behalf of the nurses.Two weeks ago, Shopati told The Namibian that the union had approached the office of the Labour Commissioner to set up a conciliation board before they take Government to court.By yesterday, they were still waiting for a reply from the Office of the Labour Commissioner.”The Office of the Labour Commissioner is trying to employ technical manoeuvres.They requested minutes of our meeting with the Ministry.How can we send them minutes when we had no meeting?” Shopati asked.According to the Nanu leadership, the Ministry of Health is shooting itself in the foot by ignoring them.”If this is the attitude of our leaders towards nurses, they declare war.They want to shoot us down but we will shoot them first.We will use our arsenal.What I am saying is not a threat.It is a fact,” Shopati said, without elaborating on what he meant by “arsenal”.The nurses have given the Ministry of Health an ultimatum.The top personnel must meet them by November 24 or they are going ahead with a countrywide demonstration on December 6, he said.Shopati said the demonstration will take place between 12h00 and 14h00 and “only skeleton staff” will remain in wards to attend to patients.”If [there is] no reaction after the demonstration, wait until you see [what happens].The situation means that the relationship has totally broken and we will fight until all of us are completely eliminated.We have the capacity to fight,” Shopati said.The unhappiness within nursing ranks started when the Ministry of Health reduced the rate of payment for nurses on Sundays and public holidays by half from April 1 this year.Permanent Secretary Dr Kalumbi Shangula said nurses had been overpaid for many years because of varying interpretations of the Labour Act.However, the system was changed in 1998 although the new calculation only started on April 1 this year.Under the old system, nurses received double payment on Sundays and public holidays but Shopati and fellow nurses claim that the change was only made for nurses while other health workers still get paid according to the old system.He said doctors and pharmacists received fixed overtime payment on top of their salaries.”To be specific, doctors are claiming what is being called casualty overtime over and above the fixed overtime.Medical interns are receiving salaries higher than a chief control registered nurses, if overtime and forensic allowances are included,” Shopati said.He said nurses faced discrimination, since nursing students doing the same practical work as medical interns were not paid anything.”When nurses ask about their condition of employment, they are being told that nursing is a calling and not a job for money.Who is employed not for money in today’s world? That includes politicians.What is funny if nurses ask for their entitlement?” Shopati fumed.He claimed that 69 per cent of all nurses employed in State and private institutions were members of Nanu while 98 per cent of orderlies at public health facilities had also signed up with them.The Ministry of Health has 4 560 positions for nurses, of which 28 per cent are currently vacant.”If we withdraw our skills, the Government hospitals will be closed and they will be under pressure from the public.They must not play.We have the capacity to paralyse (the health institutions).If they use their power of office, we will use our power of skills,” Nanu Secretary General Abner Shopati told a media briefing yesterday.Shopati told a packed hall at the Windhoek Central Hospital that the top personnel at the Ministry of Health have refused to talk to the union.”Now we will deal with them.We are the backbone of healthcare delivery in Namibia.However, it is clear that nobody is interested in our matters.We are at the receiving end.We will see (who wins).We can’t be cheated by everyone,” he said.Nanu has given the Ministry of Health until November 24 to respond to its demands or face a national demonstration.The union held national consultations between August and September to get support for suing the Ministry of Health on behalf of the nurses. Two weeks ago, Shopati told The Namibian that the union had approached the office of the Labour Commissioner to set up a conciliation board before they take Government to court.By yesterday, they were still waiting for a reply from the Office of the Labour Commissioner.”The Office of the Labour Commissioner is trying to employ technical manoeuvres.They requested minutes of our meeting with the Ministry.How can we send them minutes when we had no meeting?” Shopati asked.According to the Nanu leadership, the Ministry of Health is shooting itself in the foot by ignoring them.”If this is the attitude of our leaders towards nurses, they declare war.They want to shoot us down but we will shoot them first.We will use our arsenal.What I am saying is not a threat.It is a fact,” Shopati said, without elaborating on what he meant by “arsenal”.The nurses have given the Ministry of Health an ultimatum.The top personnel must meet them by November 24 or they are going ahead with a countrywide demonstration on December 6, he said.Shopati said the demonstration will take place between 12h00 and 14h00 and “only skeleton staff” will remain in wards to attend to patients.”If [there is] no reaction after the demonstration, wait until you see [what happens].The situation means that the relationship has totally broken and we will fight until all of us are completely eliminated.We have the capacity to fight,” Shopati said.The unhappiness within nursing ranks started when the Ministry of Health reduced the rate of payment for nurses on Sundays and public holidays by half from April 1 this year.Permanent Secretary Dr Kalumbi Shangula said nurses had been overpaid for many years because of varying interpretations of the Labour Act.However, the system was changed in 1998 although the new calculation only started on April 1 this year.Under the old system, nurses received double payment on Sundays and public holidays but Shopati and fellow nurses claim that the change was only made for nurses while other health workers still get paid according to the old system.He said doctors and pharmacists received fixed overtime payment on top of their salaries.”To be specific, doctors are claiming what is being called casualty overtime over and above the fixed overtime.Medical interns are receiving salaries higher than a chief control registered nurses, if overtime and forensic allowances are included,” Shopati said.He said nurses faced discrimination, since nursing students doing the same practical work as medical interns were not paid anything.”When nurses ask about their condition of employment, they are being told that nursing is a calling and not a job for money.Who is employed not for money in today’s world? That in
cludes politicians.What is funny if nurses ask for their entitlement?” Shopati fumed.He claimed that 69 per cent of all nurses employed in State and private institutions were members of Nanu while 98 per cent of orderlies at public health facilities had also signed up with them.The Ministry of Health has 4 560 positions for nurses, of which 28 per cent are currently vacant.