PROFESSIONALISM VERSUS MONEY?

Ancillary staff in institutions, especially those commonly referred to as 'general hands' i.e. cleaners and cooks do a thankless job as they sweat and their efforts are rarely acknowledged and rarely, financially rewarded. They are usually looked down upon especially by their educated and professional colleagues as they are seen as failures who failed to get academic as well as professional qualifications.

However since the adoption of the multi-currency system in the country, everyone wants the extra rand or dollar regardless of their position in an institution. This has led to the marginalization of workers in the lower grades by those in positions of authority who abuse their authority to usurp the duties and rewards of those.

Some institutions hire out their facilities and cleaners get extra money for participating in such fund-raising ventures. However, these days it is not unusual to find that during such ventures professionals in institutions such as accountants, secretary and human resources officers become cleaners and cooks having muscled out the bonafide cleaners. This is especially so in government institutions where workers are still getting' peanuts' in terms of remuneration. It appears greed has eroded the professional conscience and 'ubuntu' in some individuals

Administrators definitely have to address such issues whereby employees are denied what should ideally be theirs to prevent demotivation and frustration within the organization.