Scores of patients were left hungry when breakfast did not arrive on Thursday morning. The kitchen staff had walked off their jobs because of unpaid overtime and wages for more than 20 weeks.

People had a lot to say about the hungry patients, but very few have grasped why this happened. The patients were left without one meal; however, the families of the minimum wage-earning kitchen staff have missed more than one meal because they have yet to be paid what they are owed.

The staff, in protest, went to see the Minister for Health, Va’aaoao Salumalo Alofipo, hoping that this step would ensure they were paid their dues. There was an opportunity cost to their action; hundreds of patients were left without breakfast. It was not a righteous thing to do, but it was a necessary reminder for the Ministry of Health.

These are staff who are not paid handsomely but are an important part of the public hospital system. Nutrition is important and part of treatment. These are the staff who ensure new mothers are fed so they can feed their babies, they ensure the special dietary requirements for diabetes and other patients with non-communicable diseases, and they ensure that each meal is delivered on time.

Yet for these staff not to be paid what they deserve is a far cry. The government declared a state of ‘economic emergency’ to get funds from the Treasury to roll operations for October. Everyone was assured that they would be paid what they earned, inclusive of overtime. What has happened at the Ministry of Health? Did the money arrive for MOH, or has someone neglected the kitchen and other auxiliary staff? It also begs the question of whether the right amount of money is being given to the ministries to ensure no one is missed.

Acting Director General of Health, Tagaloa Dr Robert Thomsen, explained that the disruption occurred due to a “miscommunication about their overtime payments.” “The issue has been resolved, and they will return to work tomorrow,” he said. “The catering arrangement was only for today.” He also confirmed that no hospital catering staff had been dismissed following the incident.

A miscommunication is an excuse. The health boss needs to reprimand the ministry staff responsible for pay. Just last week, a shortage of medicine was confirmed, and the shipping delays were blamed when it was clearly a procurement issue. It is time for an overhaul of the pay system that keeps missing employees.

The MOH should also declare if hiring the caterers had cost them more than paying the staff for the day they missed work. The miscommunication has also added an extra financial burden on the ministry, which is failing to meet its target because of budget constraints. The unnecessary burden was not needed.

The workers exercised their rights to protest unfair treatment. It would be unfair if they faced disciplinary action for raising their voices to ask for what is theirs. People tend to forget that in employment, the employer is not doing a favour by hiring people. The necessity to run smooth operations requires positions to be filled. The people filling these positions work on the condition that they are paid for the tasks they are required to carry out. It is unfair that the workers continue to fulfil their side of the obligations while the employer does not.

It should not be forgotten why we are at this point. The government may seem to come out as the one trying to help with the budget shortage, but the truth remains that if the budget had not failed in May because of political ambitions to get seats, civil servants would not be going through the pay dilemma.

For now, let us take the good doctor’s word that the issue has been resolved. Have a great weekend.