The South African Emergency Personnel’s Union (SAEPU) is rejecting Limpopo health department performance and payment of overtime to EMS covid-19 response team memo. The memo states that EMS Covid-19 response team will qualify for a payment of overtime exceeding 30% while attending the related cases for financial year 2020/2021.We strongly reject this memo because it has no purpose but to enslave and create chaos between EMS workers. There are items that department has failed to address even before the Covid-19 and now they want to create space to ignore them further.   

DPSA has issued a resolution dated 20/09/2018 that the department must comply with the provisions of regulation 49 (1) (c) of the public service regulations, to deviate on overtime compensation in the health sector. Unfortunately department of health Limpopo is aware of this resolution but failed to comply.

We want to remind department that funding of overtime compensation from 2018/2019 budget allocation was supposed to be paid not later than April 2019. We are approaching July 2020 and workers are still waiting for their hard earned money. On the other side overlapping hours are still there due to workload in their section. It is unfortunate because department of health Limpopo is led by people who always want to be reminded about paying workers.

We demand that department clarify us on their criteria used for selection of Covid-19 cases respondents. We believe that all workers are capable of dealing with these cases. CCA’s are working same shifts like other personnel but they are included on the list of Covid-19 cases respondents which qualifies them for 100% overtime payments. This is very unfair to other personnel and will demoralise their working spirit.  

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Issued by SAEPU

For inquiries Contact

Makuwa Kgaladi

076 478 1064/065 863 2494

Email: saepu.headoffice@gmail.com