News
Editorial as published in Hospersa Today, February 2010 (Media Releases)
6 months ago
On 12 January 2010, having barely had time to recover from year end festivities, the world awoke to the harsh reality of the Haitian tragedy. As a stark reminder of human frailty, we witnessed in muted horror the death and destruction that no amount of clever intervention could have avoided, in a country whose citizens have long suffered at the hands of human greed and intolerance. The only nation born of a slave revolt it has largely remained economically enslaved ever since and while the world, South Africa included, responded to the tragedy with urgent magnificence it was far too little, far too late for the estimated 150 000 citizens who lost their lives. Our hearts go out to the survivors.
Hospersa is busy talking to our federation on ways to assist the beleaguered Haitians more practically; the world needs to be prepared to assist this historically unfortunate nation for many years to come, something that has long been overdue.
While during year end planning our leadership had flagged service delivery as a 2010 priority, the Haitian experience has given this goal a sense of unforeseen urgency. Already hard at work to upscale our membership data base in order to increase our ability to communicate more effectively with membership, we have also flagged 2010 for an Occupational Health and safety campaign. In this way we aim to tackle head on the often disgraceful conditions under which public servants and indeed private sector members, upmarket Netcare being no exception, are expected to effect service.
But communicating with members as the starting point of service excellence is an understandable priority and in this regard members must also understand that this is a two way street. We need not only your input but also your active involvement in the affairs of Hospersa, at every level. It is gratifying to see that there are three’ letters to the editor’ in this edition that stand as an example of how people will rise to the challenge should they be given opportunity to do so; in this way we will ensure that Hospersa and its assets remain in the control of its members. While general meetings will always be the most effective means to communicate, let’s use all avenues available to discus and debate relevant issues. Our commitment to you is that all who communicate will be heard as all communiqués will be forwarded and indeed discussed at the highest level of organisation.
The Haitian tragedy has also flagged as urgent now our commitment to civil society and a more vociferous engagement with government thereby fulfilling our role as watchdogs of the State. Incidentally the South African government harbour Haiti’s Jean-Bertrand Aristide ousted former Haitian President accused of human rights abuses amongst other alleged crimes, at tax payers expense. In this regard we have much work to do: the proposed electricity tariff hikes and the falling Matric pass rate both have an onerous influence on unemployment and the proposed tax to finance State television that will place a further burden on the already overtaxed middle class, are but three of many concerns.
The States inertia at combating crime, fuelled no doubt in no small part by the corruption, nepotism and graft of some undeserving politicians and senior public servants, is another matter of deep concern that we need to tackle urgently.
But it is not all bad news and one has to applaud the almost disbelieving progress of the FIFA World Cup preparations; we really are a nation of achievers and have certainly disproved with the contempt that it deserves, our many, envious detractors. On a word of caution however, there is something quite unsavoury about using the threat of strike during the World Cup to effect salary increases – one would think that firm negotiations should do the trick, rather than reverting to opportunistic threats?
In conclusion, leadership have made available to all Hospersa members, new and long serving, a free t-shirt – please see your shop steward for details on how to ensure that you get yours!
http://www.hospersa.co.za/gallery/press/Noel2.djhtml
Noel Desfontaines, Hospersa General Secretary