Deputy Prime Minister Nthomeng Majara says she will soon lead talks between the government and health workers, who have been demanding a massive jump on their hardship allowances. The workers downed tools three weeks ago after the government failed to honour its promises to pay.
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Justice Majara told parliament this week that she has yet to meet negotiators between the responsible ministries and stakeholders on the matter.
She was responding to an urgent motion filed by Mohlalefi Busa, the MP for Qacha’s Nek, who wanted parliament to intervene and break the impasse between the Ministry of Health and health workers in the mountains.
The workers in Mokhotlong, Thaba-Tseka, and Qacha’s Nek districts downed tools three weeks ago, saying the government had reneged on its promise to increase their hardship allowances from M275 to M1 000.
Initially, the workers had demanded that the government bump their allowances from M275 to M5 000. They said the M275 was last reviewed in 1993.
“I was given a report that I should lead the negotiations between ministries and stakeholders on the matter,” Justice Majara said.
“The ministries held meetings, and they waited for the Ministry of Finance to give out its analysis on the health workers’ demands,” she said.
Justice Majara told the House that she had received a message that the Finance Ministry had issued a report with its recommendations.
“The ministries also met to discuss the possible scenarios,” she said.
“They have agreed that negotiations with the health workers begin.”
“The issue is that we see that they need that allowance, but the problem is if we would be able to give them exactly what they want,” Justice Majara said.
The workers representative, Tanki Ranthimo, told thepost that they would “not backspin on our strike until we get the M1 000 allowance”.
“We are expecting to enter into talks with the government soon,” Ranthimo said.
He said for now they are attending to emergency patients only, while others are sent home.
Speaking in parliament on Monday, Busa lashed at the government, which he said had failed to alleviate the plight of Basotho, who are dying due to a lack of proper health services.
He said that when he first raised the matter three weeks ago, the “Minister of Education who was standing in for his colleague on that day promised that the government would solve the matter within a week”.
“What happened?” he said.
“Sometimes it appears as if the government does not care about the lives of the people who live in the mountainous parts of the country,” he said.
“The situation is still the same even now, yet the House made it clear that the issue should be worked out.”
Busa was worried that the snowy winter would worsen the situation and that patients would not have means to go to the lowlands to consult doctors.
Speaker of Parliament, Tlohang Sekhamane, told members that he was expecting the government to solve the problem quickly.
“I would like to add my weight to the urgency of this matter,” Sekhamane said.
He then asked Justice Majara to update the House.
Justice Majara explained that she was not present when Busa raised the matter.
Nkheli Liphoto
