Gauteng nurses refuse to don uniform over money dispute

Some Gauteng nurses reported for duty on Friday morning without their pristine uniforms after their union made a call that they not wear it.

This follows a dispute between the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA) and the Gauteng Department of  Health over uniform allowance. Denosa said  they notified the department about this decision for nurses not to wear uniform until they are paid their allowance.

Any effort to give nurses a warning or send them home will be tackled aggressively by Denosa as this is the department of health’s fault by not respecting collective bargaining, the union said.

One of the nurses who showed up at work without their uniform. Picture supplied.

“We have been asking for this money since April and the Money is around R2700 to R2800 and increases every year based on CPI for that current year. This is a resolution that was signed in 2005, Simphiwe Gada said.

“Denosa in Gauteng condemns the department’s unwillingness to pay nurses their uniform allowance despite the Department of Public Service and Administrations issuing a directive for it to pay uniform allowance to nurses. The matter of uniform allowance is a concluded collective bargaining matter and doesn’t need to be negotiated but implemented.

DENOSA has made many attempts to get this allowance paid without any cooperation from the Gauteng. We then referred the matter to the chamber which is a collective bargaining platform to compel Gauteng Health to give us a date to pay this. Again the employer came without any mandate to pay, this is despite also interventions from DENOSA to make the HOD of the department aware of the matter and asking him to solve it.

“These actions by the department of health are attempts to undermine collective bargaining and we will never allow that to happen. DENOSA Gauteng therefore calls on all nurses in Gauteng to stop wearing uniform until the employer pays uniform to all nurses in the province.

“DENOSA also calls on government to conclude on the matter of uniform and start providing nurses with uniform just like they provide other public servants with uniform like the police, soldiers etc.  It is our view that this small amount allocated for uniform doesn’t even cover all the needs of nurses as far as uniform is concerned.

The department of health was sent questions but had not responded at the time of publication.