Posted on 10/08/2014 11:59:57 AM PDT by 11th_VA
Dead bodies of Ebola-infected victims are being left on the streets after Ebola burial teams in two districts of Sierra Leona went on strike for not being paid their weekly risk allowances, leaders of the group said on Tuesday. Similarly in Liberia, one of the hardest hit countries by the Ebola epidemic, thousands of health workers and local staff are threatening to strike starting Monday if they don't receive hazard pay.
The Ebola team workers, who arguably have one of the world's most dangerous jobs, have complained that they have not been paid since the past two weeks. But leaving dead bodies on the streets and stopping work might prove extremely dangerous since the highly infectious virus tends to remain in the corpses of victims, with only specialized teams in protective clothing being able to dispose the bodies, NBC News reported.
Since the regional Ebola outbreak, at least 348 health workers have been infected with the disease and 186 have died, half of the cases being in Liberia, according to the World Health Organization.
"We have decided to stop working until they pay us our weekly risk allowance," Tamba Nyandemoh told Reuters.
"We haven't been paid for two weeks, so we need our money right now," said one angry worker, according to Sky News.
"We don't even care if dead bodies have been littered all over the city - all we want is our money. We've been stigmatized in our communities, so let the government pay us our money."
Comprising of 12 workers in each burial team, between 17 and 35 bodies are buried daily, with each member earning $100 a week, Nyandemoh said.
The situation is "very embarrassing", said health ministry spokesman Sidie Yahya Tunis. However, the teams were only owed payment for this week and had been paid through the end of September, Sierra Leone deputy health minister Madina Rahman said, declining to comment of the team's demand for risk pay.
Separately in Liberia, approximately 15,000 members have been asked to stay away from work starting Monday, October 13, by the Liberian Health Workers Association, who is demanding hazard pay, benefits and safe working conditions, George Williams, the union's secretary general, said.
Separately in Liberia, approximately 15,000 members have been asked to stay away from work starting Monday, October 13, by the Liberian Health Workers Association, who is demanding hazard pay, benefits and safe working conditions, George Williams, the union's secretary general, said.
"What we take home is insufficient for the kind of risk and the kind of jobs we do. That we have told our government from time immemorial. Nobody seems to listen to this," he said.
Additionally, the union is demanding monthly salaries ranging from $500 to $1,500 depending on the jobs being performed in Ebola treatment units. However, the government claimed it doesn't have the money to pay them, Voice of America reported.
The Ebola outbreak started in Guinea's remote southeast in February and has since spread across the region. Since it was first recorded in 1976 in what is now Democratic Republic of Congo, more than 3,400 people have died in the outbreak from more than 7,400 infections in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria.
Symptoms of the highly infectious disease are diarrhea, vomiting and internal and external bleeding.
“...Ebola-infected victims are being left on the streets”
That can’t be good.
Have to ping null and void on this one.
SEIU to go unionize them in 3, 2,...
We better toss a few billion their way.
Burning the dead...
seems there was a zombie flick in which that was a very bad idea...
Unions do like to strike at the worst moments, we had them in WWII.
Our police and fireman are union, as are the reporters that we rely to report on them.
We have not seen the worst yet. These countries are so corrupt that they just can’t get anything right. As we used to say WaWa..or West Africa wins again.
All the fuel will be stolen to cook or heat with.
Plus leftists will complain it pollutes like coal.
Think about it. This is going to happen here.
Who would want to bury them?
Who would want to clean up after them?
Who would want to handle the trash bags?
Who would even want to go to a hospital that is treating one?
Who would want to go near those that would?
And he wants to send our military there?! I guess it’s all part of his plan to take us down from the inside.
The “Non Strategy” is becoming clearer.
I guess it’s starting to become obvious why Barry is sending the military to Africa. Somebody is going to have to bury the corpses. You can bet that if Barry had a son, he wouldn’t let him join the military.
Yeah taking down America has always been buttboys agenda.
A link to this thread has been posted on the Ebola Surveillance Thread
Post to me or FReep mail to be on/off the Bring Out Your Dead ping list.
The purpose of the “Bring Out Your Dead” ping list (formerly the “Ebola” ping list) is very early warning of emerging pandemics, as such it has a high false positive rate.
So far the false positive rate is 100%.
At some point we may well have a high mortality pandemic, and likely as not the “Bring Out Your Dead” threads will miss the beginning entirely.
*sigh* Such is life, and death...
Can’t say I blame the workers, though....
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.