Hundreds of cleaners and security guards have blocked the main entrance at the Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital demanding to be insourced.
The workers, who belong to the South African Cleaners Security and Allied Workers Union (Sacsaawu), have been protesting outside the country's biggest hospital wanting government to fulfill its promise to end the outsourcing of security and cleaning service employees in the province.
Oleg Mabunda, one of the representatives of the workers told Sowetan that government had made the commitment to insource cleaning and security back in 2014.
“Government brought insourcing on the table and we agreed to it. But five years down the line insourcing has not been implemented. We submitted a memorandum of demands on October 8 and went again on October 30. The Gauteng department of health informed us that it is waiting for the appointment of the new MEC.
“Now the MEC has been appointed. We want the date on which we will be insourced. We have decided to protest here because this is where our members work,” Mabunda said.
Mabunda said workers had had enough of working for private companies as they pay very low salaries with no benefits and tough working conditions.
Police have been called to the scene to maintain order.
Gauteng provincial government took a decision at the beginning of Premier David Makhura’s second term to insource support services such as cleaners and security guards.
In September, the EFF tabled a motion to have all security guards and cleaners insourced across provincial departments but it was dismissed by the speaker of the legislature Ntombi Mekgwe before it could go on vote.
The EFF had tabled the motion, arguing that the provincial government had to abolish all contracts for cleaners and security guards and employ them directly to end tender corruption and exploitation of workers. The motion was supported by the DA.
Makhura’s spokesperson Vuyo Mhaga told the Sowetan then that all departments had started the insourcing of cleaners and security guards but some were unable to implement the resolution due to budget constraints.
On average, each of the 10 provincial departments spends about R415m on security alone in a year. Insourcing is seen as a way of eliminating the corruption associated with cleaning and security tenders, while providing better wages and working conditions for the workers.
Questions have been sent to the Gauteng department of health for comment.
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