Ts’epong finally speaks on nurses’ salaries

MAMELLO SEBATANE
Maseru – Ts`epong management officially issued a statement yesterday addressing the current strike action of the nursing staff at the Queen ’Mamohato Memorial Hospital (QMMH) and its filter clinics in Lesotho.
In the statement, Ts`epong acknowledged that the long-standing dispute involving salary disparities between the nursing staff employed by the Government of Lesotho and those employed by Ts`epong dates back to 2014 when the Government of Lesotho increased the salaries of nurses under the public service by an average of 50 percent.
Unfortunately, Tsepong could not match the same salary increase for its nursing staff employed at QMMH and its filter clinics.
Tsepong said that it is financially constrained and has been struggling to meet its financial repayments obligations to its funder and its main sub-contractors due to the unresolved disputes with the Government of Lesotho, and prolonged non-payment of amounts of due to Ts`epong, even those that are not disputed.
Ts`epong said since the salary increment was offered to one section of the nursing staff, they have since engaged the Government of Lesotho to renegotiate the funding model and reach an agreement on the disputed salary increase because it cannot afford it.
The statement added, following a strike by Ts’epong staff in 2014 over unfair salary disparities an agreement was reached between workers’ representatives, the Ministry of Health and Ts’epong.
The three parties agreed that the Government of Lesotho would establish a salary structure and a funding review to enable Ts`epong to afford the 50 percent salary adjustment.
Ts`epong added that the arbitration process to review the issue of salary disparities is currently underway.