By More Matshediso
BLOEMFONTEIN - Free Sate premier Ace Magashule has dismissed reports that he plans to dump cleaners hired to replace bungling cleaning firms last year for ANC approved cadres.
“Premier Ace Magashule is disturbed by the attempts of his political opponents who are fuelling uncertainty and confusion in the lives of these cleaners and other categories of officials. Premier has learnt that there are faceless people who are spreading rumours that he had instructed the structures of the ANC to submit names for full time employment in the place of the aforementioned cleaners from Universitas Academic Hospital and National District Hospital,” his office said in statement released on Thursday, October 25.
Therumours, director of Media Strategy and Liaison, Mondli Mvambi said, were “meant to discredit the Premier and his efforts to advance development and securing of decent sustainable livelihoods for the cleaners and those in the employ of the Provincial Government”.
He added: “It is stated without any fear of contradiction that the insourcing of cleaning services and full-time employment of cleaners and other categories of officials is to benefit the current officials that are in the employment of external service providers in these two institutions.”
The Department of Health was being targeted by Magashule’s “detractors” as a point where uncertainty and confusion can be fuelled.
“However, as the Provincial Government we are resolved on ensuring that all is done to implement the programmes of government that will result in the improvement of the lives of the poor and vulnerable.”
Cleaners who are currently working at the two hospitals feared losing their jobs following the rumours.
Magashule recently convened a meeting with the MEC of Health, Fezi Ngubentombi, members of Senior Management Service in the Department of the Premier and Department of Health and a delegation from NEHAWU to ensure that a “clear all inclusive and consultative process is embarked upon to ensure that the decisions of government do not impact negatively on the plight of the workers and their rights.”
In 2011 during the State of the Province Address, Magashule said: “we have followed a phase approach towards implementing the in-sourcing of services that are currently outsourced by government. In this regard, we have employed 284 cleaners, 119 patient assistants, 302 security officers and gardeners in permanent positions at various health institutions. This obviously contributes to our efforts in creating decent jobs and sustainable livelihoods.”
He then convened a meeting with all cleaning staff members last year on August 31 at which he emphasised the need for government to terminate outsourcing of cleaning services and instead to employ the cleaners full-time, making them eligible to receive service benefits.
Magashule said cleaners who come from QwaQwa and other small towns should be transferred to service Departments in their home towns.
“We have made significant progress with the in-sourcing of identified services at our public service institutions, especially with regard to the permanent employment of cleaners and security officers. One of the objectives we had set ourselves was to correct some of the injustices to which our workers were subjected to during the past.
“When QwaQwa ceased to exist as a so-called homeland, a number of female workers were transferred from their places of residence to take up employment as cleaners for the provincial government in Bloemfontein,” Magashule said this during the 2012 State of the Province Address.