The union says members only refused to work overtime shifts because management has not paid overtime allowances for the past two years.

Hospersa’s labour relations organiser Mpho Mongane says, “Our members are not on strike. Our members presented a petition to management informing them that they are no longer going to work overtime as it has not been paid for the last two years.”

Several patients at the hospital had to be discharged, while others were transferred to the Bloemhof Community Health Centre, following a protest by nursing staff at the Christiana hospital.

Mongane blames management for the discharging of patients at the hospital.

“Management took a unilateral decision to release all the patients that were admitted at Christiana hospital and transfer others to Bloemhof CHC. So, it is the decision of management and we don’t know the reason for that.”

North West Health MEC Madoda Sambatha says the matter will be investigated.

He says, “I need investigations and action, anyone who is implicated must account for that. It can’t just be that at the eve of an international health disaster, you have workers who decide at that point that caring of patients is secondary to them.”

“I need someone to account as to what happened and who were involved for that.”

SABC News