Staff at Makanaskop Senior Residential Facility say they are fed up with working under unsatisfactory conditions. The Education district office visited the facility recently as a community service initiative to paint the interior walls of the centre.
Staff at Makanaskop Senior Residential Facility say they are fed up with working under unsatisfactory conditions. The Education district office visited the facility recently as a community service initiative to paint the interior walls of the centre.
The staff were happy about this, although it caused some tensions. They complained to the district office representatives about the lack of protective measures in dealing with the residents at the centre as they are not provided with protective gear such as gloves.
“We don’t even have a uniform and we are underpaid. I am not happy in this environment, but I have no choice but to work here as jobs are scarce,” one staff member said.
“Residents pay boarding fees, but there is always a delay in the food coming in. We also have been without airtime for two months. It is very dangerous to be without airtime, especially at night because we take care of elderly people here,” said another staff member.
They also spoke of the lack in security, saying that people should realise that they are not subsidised by the government as people assume, but are funded and managed by a private company called Age in Action.
The staff members said that they have informed the Age in Action Director Bernice Laiwing since 2007 about their grievances but nothing has been done about it.
“This has been happening for a very long time, we are sick and tired. She [Laiwing] is aware of this and so is the committee,” said the staff member.
Grocott’s Mail contacted the Age in Action Port Elizabeth office and asked for management to comment on the issues expressed by the staff members.
The employee who answered the phone asked to remain anonymous. She said: “I am not aware of some of the things you have mentioned, they are new to me. We would rather like to take this up with the staff and the centre’s committee.”
