28 Feb 2024

Boiler services fall within facilities management services in the Ministry of Health, says health and wellness minister, Dr Edwin Dikoloti.

He said the services  ensured continuous hot water supply and steam within hospitals.

The services, he further explained, were offered at all hospitals countrywide.

Minister Dikoloti noted, however, that whenever there were breakdowns on the boilers,  the ministry outsourced the repair and maintenance of the same to private specialist companies.

He further highlighted that boiler operators were under the Department of Corporate Services and that as per the establishment register, there were 70 plant operators graded at B5 salary scale and two boiler operators graded at B4 salary scale.

However, at Mahalapye District Hospital he said there were six boiler operators.

Furthermore, the boiler operators were hired in 2008 when the hospital was opened.  In addition, he said the salary scale attached to the employment of boiler operators was B4.

He also noted that boiler operators were employed as the then industrial class employees requiring no experience.

The plan, he said, was to capacitate them on the job and skill them to operate and look after the boilers.  Additionally, he said in-service training was done as soon as the boiler operators were employed.

Minister Dikoloti acknowledged that he was aware that there was no scheme of service for boiler operators since it was a one level job.

He added that one level jobs did not qualify for schemes of service as there were no complexities in their area of responsibility.

Furthermore, he said the job effectiveness description (JED) for the boiler operators was recently reviewed and approved at B3 salary scale.

However, he said his ministry was currently working on an implementation plan to assimilate the boiler operators in line with the newly approved description.

He added that the officers would be assimilated to B3 salary scale as per the newly approved JED, and as such they were not disadvantaged as they were at liberty to apply for other jobs within the ministry if they had the relevant qualifications.

MP for Mahalapye West, Mr David Tshere had asked the minister to apprise Parliament on boiler operator services at the Ministry of Health.

He also wanted to know which department boiler operators belonged to and how many should be employed in the ministry as per the establishment register.

Mr Tshere also asked the minister how many boiler operators were supposed to be at Mahalapye District Hospital.

Furthermore, he asked the minister to state when the ministry started hiring boiler operators as well as the salary scale attached to the employment of boiler operators.

MP Tshere also wanted to know what the plan was at the time regarding their promotion, progression, training and development.  

In addition he asked the minister if he was aware that there were no scheme of service for boiler operators, and as such, they had been stuck at the entry level scale for over 14 years.

He wanted to know the ministry’s plan to rectify the seemingly unfair treatment of workers as well as plans to compensate for the years boiler operators did not have a scheme of service and thereby disadvantaging them.

MP Tshere also wanted to know if the minister would consider recommending that boiler operators countrywide be moved to B3 salary scale with effect from 2011 and progress to B2 scale from 2003 and progress to B1 salary scale from 2017, and to pay them accordingly in recognition of his ministry’s omission of not putting in place measures to ensure that they benefitted appropriately from progression, promotion and development. ENDS