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The National Union of Public Service and Allied workers (NUPSAW) has for some time now, led a fight for the insourcing and permanent absorption of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) workers by the Gauteng Department of Health (GDOH). This has seen NUPSAW organise different types of protests such as pickets, night vigils and marches, all geared towards ensuring that workers are insourced, get decent remunerations and have improved working conditions.

The health department has been giving us the run around for a long time, but that did not deter NUPSAW from putting the workers first. We have consistently fought to ensure that they are treated fairly. In fact, quite a number of times, including recently, the GDOH has sought to terminate these contracts as our pressure for their permanent absorption grew. In those occasion, NUPSAW has successfully stopped the department from terminating such contracts. Recently, NUPSAW’s challenge to the intention by the GDOH and the Office of the Premier to terminate these contracts, resulted in Premier Panyaza Lesufi conceding to retain the contracts of the current EPWP workers.

Although this might be seen as victory, NUPSAW is of the opinion that it is merely a temporary one. The ultimate victory can only come with the permanent absorption of these workers. It is to this effect that a campaign to discuss the EPWP program and fight for absorption of EPWP workers in the Gauteng Department of Health continues, and it is marked by the recent meeting that was held.

We further call for the re-appointment of all Covid-19 health workers contracts, and finalising the insourcing of security officers within 3 months. Our meeting with the department agreed that the campaign needs to be inclusive of other contracted categories of workers, which will include Security officers, CHW, Covid-19 contracts, etc. The recent meeting agreed to host an Indaba where all the EPWP workers in the Gauteng Department of Health will be invited. The aim of the Indaba to be held on Saturday, 13 May 2023 at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, is to ensure that all EPWP workers are mobilised to press on the fight for their integration and permanent employment by the GDOH.

The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU), to which NUPSAW is a proud affiliate, will join the EPWP Indaba. Its General Secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi, will along the General Secretary of NUPSAW, Solly Malema, the 1st Deputy President of NUPSAW, Siphiwe Gabela, address the Indaba.

The campaign, under whose auspice the Indaba is convened, is a fight against precarious employment and exploitation of workers under Gauteng Department of health. It is a sore point to us because some of our EPWP members have been working for more 10 years in the GDOH. This means they have been trapped in a condition of precarity with poverty wages, despite the purpose of the programme purportedly introduced to  alleviate poverty. The health department has abused the EPWP workers for a long time, and that stops now!

In addition to this, and as part of furthering their austerity programme, which is aimed at reducing the compensation through reduction in the headcount among others, EPWP workers are used to do some work for the established permanent posts that are not being filled. These permanent posts, whose job is now done by the EPWP workers in the department, include amongst others, data capturing, cleaning, garden service, administrative clerks, messengers, and other general work posts.

The GDOH had about 4000 EPWP workers under the program during the 2022/23 financial year. These are workers that were placed throughout Gauteng clinics and hospitals, where some of these clinics are 100% run and managed by the EPWP workers. NUPSAW has always fought and continues to fight against the exploitation of EPWP workers, the government budget cuts and the non-filling of vacant posts not only at the Gauteng Department of Health, but across the country. We will not rest until the Gauteng Department of Health does right by the EPWP workers.

Issued by The National Union of Public Service and Allied workers (NUPSAW)