NEHAWU KZN Statement On Appalling Working Conditions At Phoenix Forensics Mortuary
Tuesday July 26, 2022
NEHAWU KZN Statement On Appalling Working Conditions At Phoenix Forensics Mortuary Tuesday July 26, 2022 The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union [NEHAWU] in KwaZulu-Natal is flabbergasted and disappointed with the state and working conditions our members are subjected to at Phoenix Forensic Mortuary. On numerous occasions, the union has raised this matter with both the management of the facility as well as the district management. On the 23rd of June 2022 the union held a meeting with the eThekwini district management wherein the issue of health and safety was raised. Amongst other things, the following were raised; • Our members are working under terrible conditions, environment that compromise or placing their lives at risk. • No proper PPE [Gloves,Gown,Musk] issued to them for past three months • No Blades & Needles to cut and stitch bodies properly. • No Chemicals to clean and disinfect, the mortuary smell is unbearable. • Flies catcher in the autopsy room is out of order, flies are everywhere at autopsy. • Drains are blocked on the other side of the autopsy room for months now. On 18th July 2022, the Provincial Office Bearers [POBs] of the union visited the Phoenix forensic mortuary facility to do a fact finding and were left shocked and utterly dismayed at the state of the facility. The facility storage capacity has long been exceeded, with bodies lying on the floor since there is no longer a space in the fridges. There are still unidentified bodies from last year’s July unrest and this year’s floods. What is also disappointing is that instead of the department fixing what has been raised above, they are now targeting our shopstewards who have been raising these issues. Currently, two of our shopstewards have been suspended. The union has long cautioned the department of health about implications and shortcomings of closing the previous Gale Street Mortuary and the need to urgently address the issue of staff shortage in mortuaries. NEHAWU calls on the MEC of the Health to make an urgent intervention otherwise the union will be left with no option but to explore other avenues as part of defending its members. END Issued by NEHAWU KwaZulu-Natal Secretariat Office For more information, please contact: Ayanda Zulu (Provincial Secretary) at 081 758 5199 or email: Ayandaz@nehawu.org.za or Ntokozo Nxumalo (Provincial Deputy Secretary) at 0815255983 or email: Ntokozo@Nehawu.org.za Visit NEHAWU website at www.nehawu.org.za
Issued by NEHAWU Secretariat Office
Zola Saphetha (General Secretary) at 082 558 5968;
December Mavuso (Deputy General Secretary) at 082 558 5969;
Lwazi Nkolonzi (NEHAWU National Spokesperson) at 081 558 2335 or email: lwazin@nehawu.org.za
Visit https://www.nehawu.org.za