Pretoria - The National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) management has signed an agreement with National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (NEHAWU) to resolve the wage negotiation dispute and avert a looming strike.
The Department of Health on Wednesday said the settlement agreement was signed on Monday following an emergency meeting held on the day.
“Consequent to seven months of negotiations, the parties had failed to meet common ground over salary adjustments and improved working conditions.
“This is subsequent to the failure of the process of conciliation and mediation by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), which saw both parties being awarded with the certificate of non-resolution, opening a path to what could have been a costly and regrettable industrial action,” the department said.
Resolutions from the emergency meeting allude to a salary adjustment of 7% which will be back dated to 1 April 2015, a medical aid subsidy of R2285.50 and a housing allowance of R1 200.
According to the department, the two parties agreed to implement the salary scales for employees on salary band A to C, over a period of two years.
The first 50% will be implemented in the 2015\2016 financial year back dated to the 1st of April 2015. The next 50% will be done in the 2016\2017 financial year.
“The parties agreed that all other outstanding issues will be resolved within the next six months and will be dealt with in the bargaining and labour relations forum, including the development of a detailed work plan and timelines,” said the department.
It said both parties also agreed that the employer will withdraw all termination letters and notices of discipline that were issued to NEHAWU members.
“All those workers, who had been served with letters of termination, will return to work with immediate effect,” said the department. - SAnews.gov.za
