The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union [NEHAWU] in KwaZulu-Natal welcomes the appointment of more than 5,000 Community Health Workers [CHWs] on a permanent basis. This significant step marks a major victory for thousands of frontline healthcare workers who have long been denied the job security and benefits they deserve.

This milestone is the direct result of NEHAWU’s persistent campaign to secure permanent employment for Community Health Workers and ensure that they receive all the rights and benefits enshrined in South African labour laws. In January 2025, the Labour Court delivered a landmark ruling in NEHAWU’s favour, declaring that all CHWs must be deemed permanent employees.

The court made several critical findings: it was common cause among the parties that there is a permanent need for the essential services provided by CHWs, as acknowledged by the state’s own counsel; the relevant collective agreement was intended only to regulate conditions of employment, not to create or limit the employment relationship itself; and funding received from the National Treasury cannot reasonably be classified as “external” to a government department. On this basis, the court rejected all the justifications presented by the state and applied the deeming provisions of section 198B(5) of the Labour Relations Act (LRA), ruling that all CHW contracts are deemed to be of indefinite duration.

The Labour Court judgment paved the way for the signing of a comprehensive Settlement Agreement, also referred to as the Implementation Agreement, between NEHAWU and the National Department of Health. This agreement gives full effect to the court’s historic ruling and sets out clear timelines and commitments for the permanent absorption of CHWs nationwide. Under the terms of the agreement, all eligible 27,000 Community Health Workers will be permanently appointed at Public Service Salary Level 2, with effect from 1 September 2025. The implementation date of 1 September 2025 includes payment of three months’ net remuneration, while pensionable salaries will commence from 1 December 2025. In addition, the Department has agreed to provide an interim stipend increase of R1,000 to the remaining 16,687 CHWs for the 2025/26 financial year, effective from 1 September 2025, and continuing until their permanent appointments are finalized.

The parties have further committed to completing the permanent appointment process for the remaining 16,687 CHWs and to determining and implementing a Token of Appreciation for CHWs who have reached pensionable age, no later than 31 January 2026.

NEHAWU regards this outcome as a historic breakthrough that ends years of precarious fixed-term contracts and brings dignity, job security, pension benefits, and fair remuneration to Community Health Workers. These workers have played a vital role in South Africa’s public health system, including during the COVID-19 pandemic, yet they were previously excluded from the protections and benefits afforded to other public servants.

NEHAWU will continue convening membership meetings with Community Health Workers across the province. The purpose of these meetings is to provide updates on the progress of their permanent absorption, address any concerns, and counter deliberate misinformation being spread to confuse and divide workers for narrow, self-serving interests that have no connection to their long struggle for full and decent employment.

NEHAWU remains fully committed to defending the rights of Community Health Workers and to strengthening the public healthcare system for the benefit of all South Africans. This achievement is a testament to the power of collective action and the union’s unwavering resolve to secure justice for vulnerable workers.

Issued by NEHAWU KwaZulu-Natal Secretariat Office