STRIKERS STAY PUT

…as talks fail to end Zimbabwe health workers' strike

HARARE - Public health workers in Zimbabwe entered their second day of strikes on Tuesday after mediation talks called by the government ended in an impasse, union leaders said.

Low wages and poor working conditions are among the reasons for the strike, which was called by the umbrella group Health Apex Council.

The strike was partially observed, with reports of longer patient waiting times.

In a notice to members, the group’s leader Tapiwa Kusotera said the government’s Health Services Board (HSB) had on Monday called for an urgent negotiation meeting, but that it did not provide any solutions to the workers’ grievances.

Health workers last week rejected the government’s 100 percent wage increase offer, saying it was below the current inflation rate of 131.7 percent.

One nurse said she earns 23, 000 Zimbabwean dollars ($60) a month. Even with a special Covid allowance of $175, most workers earn well below the living wage, she said.

Kusotera said the strike was not just about money but about the conditions of service, adding that most workers were demoralised but couldn’t leave after the government blocked the issuance of certificates that would allow them to seek work in the private sector and abroad.

Government health facilities are under-equipped and often run out of basics such as paracetamol. Surgeons sometimes ask patients to buy their own sutures so operations can be performed, Kusotera said.

“We often say amongst ourselves that our government loves roads more than it loves its hospitals.” – BBC.