Zimbabwe healthcare workers announce two-day strike over low salaries

By Staff Reporter

HEALTHCARE workers, including nurses and doctors, have announced a two-day strike over poor wages starting Thursday.

This follows a 48-hour ultimatum given to the government on Monday that sought to have it address their worsening case.

Zimbabwean nurses, already reeling from other factors affecting the country’s economic and political scene, are now earning just about US$10 if their local currency salaries are converted at the government’s interbank rate.

“The Health Apex panel has on numerous occasions written to the employer highlighting the plight of health workers. Sadly, to this day nothing has materialised,” reads the Health Apex team’s notification.

The Health Apex team is an amalgamation of labour unions within the sector.

Adds the notification: “Health workers are severely affected by non-review of health sector specific allowances, very low basic salary, housing and transport allowances which are now less than US$10 combined at the prevailing interbank market.

“The health workers are formally giving a 48-hour written notice (from Monday the 26th of February 2024 to Wednesday the 28th of February 2024) for a collective job action in terms of section 16(2)(b) and (c) of the Health Services Act.

“The collective job action will commence on Thursday the 29th of February 2024 and end on Saturday the 2 of March 2024 if the grievances have not been addressed.”

Hundreds of health workers have over the past decade fled Zimbabwe’s chaotic economy for better prospects in Europe, America, New Zealand and Australia.