By Kefiloe Kajane
The minister of labour and employment, Moshe Leoma, says the firing of about 360 nurses from Queen ‘Mamohato Memorial Hospital (QMMH) does not stop his ministry from finding an amicable solution, as he was asked intervention by nurses.
In a statement this week, Leoma said after receiving a letter from health practitioners through Coalition of Health Professionals and Lesotho Workers Association on February 24 2021, where they were asking for his intervention, he asked Directorate of Dispute Prevention of Dispute to investigate the matter.
“I also asked DDPR to write a report and submit it after 10 days, according to the labour law. They did as I asked and gave me the report,” he said.
The report by DDPR states that their observation and opinion is that the issues surrounding all these disputes, need a broader perspective.
“The DDPR therefore suggests that another option could be a joint meeting of the ministries of health and finance and Queen ‘Mamohato Memorial Hospital. It is the DDPR’s view that unless the administrative terms and conditions surrounding the PPP agreement are revisited, there are likely to be recurring disputes between Tšepong and the Workers.
“The ministry of labour and employment may also be co-opted as an advisor on employer and employee-related matters. However, the DDPR has no mandate in the interpretation of the PPP agreement as it is not an employment contract or a matter between the employers and the employee/s,” the report reads.
