Health workers threaten job action

Ngqwele Dube, Sunday News Correspondent
HEALTH workers have resolved to down tools following demonstrations that took place in Bulawayo and Harare on Thursday.

The workers are demanding that their salaries to be paid in United States dollars with the figures being reverted back to their 1 October 2018 salaries.

Nurses at United Bulawayo Hospitals and Mpilo Hospital in Bulawayo staged a brief demonstration in the morning. Mpilo acting chief executive officer, Dr Solwayo Ngwenya said nurses had, however, returned to their work stations by midday.

Zimbabwe Nurses Association president, Enock Dongo said following demonstrations by heath workers they decided to meet as the health apex and resolved to embark on the job action. He said they were demanding a return to the 1 October 2018 salaries in US dollars.

“We noted that health workers expressed their dissatisfaction of the current remuneration through demonstrations which we did not organise but were initiated by workers themselves. As the Health Apex we endorsed the demonstrators’ action and are demanding that salaries return to 1 October 2018 digits in US dollar digits,” said Dongo.

In a letter to the Health Services Board, signed by representatives of the health workers, the Health Apex said healthcare workers are economically incapacitated to continue reporting for duty.

The statement read: “This letter serves to inform you that the health care workers, as you might have witnessed have already taken matters into their hands and have withdrawn their services. Therefore, we would like to officially communicate as the Health Apex that health workers have withdrawn their services with immediate effect until our demands have been met”.