Senior nurses join juniors’ strike

SENIOR nurses at public hospitals have joined their juniors in a nationwide strike, paralysing the public health delivery system.

Nurses and junior doctors across the country declared a strike last Thursday in protest over meagre salaries and horrible working conditions.

Government tried to counter the protests by offering a 50% salary hike and US$75 non-taxable COVID-19 allowances to all its workers, but the nurses and the rest of the civil service rejected the offer as too little.

Yesterday, the sisters-in-charge responsible for specific wards and supervising staff to ensure smooth operations joined the strike, arguing that they had no option after government ignored their demand for their salaries to be paid in the more stable United States dollar.

“We note with concern the lack of urgency by the employer in addressing issues raised by Zina (Zimbabwe Nurses Association),” a notice by the sistersin-charge at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, dated June 24, 2020 read in part.

The letter was addressed to the hospital’s chief executive officer Ernest Manyawo and copied to clinical director and underfire Health and Child Care minister Obadiah Moyo.

“The on-going incapacitation has not been doing any good to the patient care in the COVID-19 pandemic period.

“We have noted that despite the sacrifices shown by nurses, the employer has not been forthcoming. As part of Zina membership, we share the same grievances and we have been holding fort at our respective wards despite being overwhelmed by workload,” the letter read.

“After consultation and deliberations, we hereby notify that we are withdrawing our services with immediate effect until the employer takes the nurses grievances seriously by way of fruitful negotiations.”

Both Moyo and his acting permanent secretary Gibson Mhlanga were not immediately available for comment yesterday.

The latest job action comes at a time COVID-19 cases are on the rise, raising fears of a health catastrophe.