STRIKING forensic officers have been put on precautionary suspension.
The officers were served with letters by acting Forensic Medical Services CEO Medupe Modisane yesterday.
The suspension comes after the officers downed tools about a week ago.
According to the letter, they have until 4pm today to give reasons why they should not be suspended.
“The allegation is that you are refusing to dissect, thus constituting partial or combined refusal to work,” it read.
The officers told Daily Sun they downed tools because they were doing doctors’ work in post mortems, for which they were neither paid nor adequately trained. They said they wanted proper training and to earn accordingly. “But the health department has been sending us from pillar to post.
One officer said: “Last year we downed tools and they promised to train us and begged us to go back to work, which we did. But nothing happened.
“We also need counselling, because what we do is very traumatising.”
She said they decided to stop working again this year so the department could see they were serious about training. “Unfortunately they have decided to suspend us.”
The forensic department strike has caused a huge backlog at government mortuaries. Bodies are piling up as the officers continue their work of picking up bodies but not performing post mortems.
The SunTeam has received more and more calls from families struggling to get the bodies of their loved ones.
Last year the People’s Paper followed up on stories when forensics officers first went on strike. In one instance the EFF protested outside the Diepkloof mortuary.
Modisane told Daily Sun said they had given the officers letters of suspension and they would have to go to court to challenge the suspension.
By the time of going to print no outcome had been established.
