The Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (Denosa) is calling on retrenched nurses in Gauteng not to sign job termination letters.
Denosa said on Thursday it had noted with concern and dismay that the provincial department of health sent out the letters of retrenchment to the nurses on January 20.
Those targeted are post-community service nurses, which the union said went against the engagements it has had with the provincial department of health.
Denosa’s provincial chairperson Simphiwe Gada said: “We call on all post-community service nurses affected not to comply with this directive coming from their respective human resource departments. We want to reiterate that we will fight tooth and nail to save these jobs.”
Gada asked why the department decided to shed jobs because it was battling with staff shortages. “We will not allow such situation. The youth unemployment rate is too high and we need these [retrenched] nurses.”
Denosa plans to meet with officials from the provincial department of health today to discuss the immediate withdrawal of the dismissal of 749 nurses. It promised to intensify the union’s programme of action if its pleas fell on deaf ears.
“We call on Denosa shop stewards and structures in the province to advise all affected nurses not to sign termination letters,” said Gada.
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