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State, unions dispute holds up health fund
Nontyatyambo Petros
2003-12-11
An estimated R500 m earmarked by the treasury to retain skilled health professionals could be withdrawn if government and unions fail to reach agreement by March next year on which category of worker is eligible for the payments.
The funds, which are expected to increase to R1bn in the next two years, will be used to increase the allowances of health professionals in rural areas and those who possess scarce skills.
The money was set aside after an agreement between the health department and unions in the sector in a bid to prevent health professionals from leaving the country for better paying jobs overseas.
The unions include the National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union, the Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA (Denosa) and the Public Servants' Association (PSA).
It is understood, however, that the unions have so far refused to sign the agreement, claiming that government had unilaterally determined the criteria for selecting the health officials.
It is believed that these unions would also like to have other categories of workers included. Currently, only professional nurses are eligible for a rural allowance. The unions have objected to this, calling on government to extend the rural and scarce skills allowances to assistant and staff nurses.
The health department was not available for comment yesterday, but it is understood that Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang urged unions last week to accept the offer so that allowances could be disbursed before the end of this month.
The department has only included highly trained health professionals in its list of workers who qualify for the scarce skills allowance. These are medical and dental specialists, dentists, medical doctors, pharmacists, pharmacologists, dental technicians, psychologists, dieticians and nutritionists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists, radiographers and speech therapists.
The allowances will see the salaries of these workers increasing between 12% and 17%. The rural allowance ranges from 12% to 22%. Nurses in rural areas will qualify for only 12%, while doctors qualify for 22%.
The exclusion of nurses in one category and the lower percentage due to them may be seen as slap in the face. Health professionals, particularly nurses, are leaving SA in large numbers. The discrepancies have annoyed Denosa, which feels that the amounts should be the same for all workers in rural areas.
Denosa chief negotiator Jabu Magagula was confident yesterday that the agreement would be signed before March.
PSA GM Anton Louwrens said his union was willing to sign the agreement, despite some reservations about the selection method.
The allowances are to be backdated to July this year, but Denosa has proposed that they be paid from the date of implementation the saving can be used to accommodate all categories of nurses. ( Source: Business Day, 10 December 2003).
An estimated R500 m earmarked by the treasury to retain skilled health professionals could be withdrawn if government and unions fail to reach agreement by March next year on which category of worker is eligible for the payments.
The funds, which are expected to increase to R1bn in the next two years, will be used to increase the allowances of health professionals in rural areas and those who possess scarce skills.
The money was set aside after an agreement between the health department and unions in the sector in a bid to prevent health professionals from leaving the country for better jobs overseas.
The unions include the National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union, the Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA (Denosa) and the Public Servants' Association (PSA).
It is understood, however, that the unions have so far refused to sign the agreement, claiming that government had unilaterally determined the criteria for selecting the health officials.
It is believed that these unions would also like to have other categories of workers included. Currently, only professional nurses are eligible for a rural allowance. The unions have objected to this, calling on government to extend the rural and scarce skills allowances to assistant and staff nurses.
The health department was not available for comment yesterday, but it is understood that Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang urged unions last week to accept the offer so that allowances could be disbursed before the end of this month.
The department has only included highly trained health professionals in its list of workers who qualify for the scarce skills allowance. These are medical and dental specialists, dentists, medical doctors, pharmacists, pharmacologists, dental technicians, psychologists, dieticians and
nutritionists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists, radiographers and speech therapists.
The allowances will see the salaries of these workers increasing between 12% and 17%. The rural allowance ranges from 12% to 22%. Nurses in rural areas will qualify for only 12%, while doctors qualify for 22%.
The exclusion of nurses in one category and the lower percentage due to them may be seen as slap in the face. Health professionals, particularly nurses, are leaving SA in large numbers. The discrepancies have annoyed Denosa, which feels that the amounts should be the same for all workers in rural areas.
Denosa chief negotiator Jabu Magagula was confident yesterday that the agreement would be signed before March.
PSA GM Anton Louwrens said his union was willing to sign the agreement, despite some reservations about the selection method.
The allowances are to be backdated to July this year, but Denosa has proposed that they be paid from the date of implementation the saving can be used to accommodate all categories of nurses. ( Source: Business Day, 10 December 2003)
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More cash for health workers in rural areas
(2004-02-05)
Total number of health professional posts
(0000-00-00)
Treatment Monitor: Focus on Human Resources
(2008-02-14)
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