Striking doctors’ salaries cut

Nokusa Masuku/Loveness Bepete Chronicle Reporter
THE government has deducted almost $300 from December salaries of all doctors who participated in a three-week industrial action, Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association (ZHDA) media and publicity officer Francis Rwodzi has said.

Rwodzi said the paymaster garnished the doctors for participating in “a constitutional” 17-day strike in October this year where they demanded improved working conditions.

More than 400 government doctors participated in the strike, demanding that the government increases their basic salaries from $283 to $1,200 excluding allowances. The government agreed to meet doctors’ demands, beginning next year January.

He said ZHDA was shocked by governments move as this was the first time that workers were being punished for exercising their constitutional right in the country.

“As ZHDA, we feel that this move is a direct violation of labour rights and total disregard of the country’s constitution and sabotage of social services delivery in the country.”

Rwodzi said ZHDA was engaging its members to determine the way forward.

“ZHDA is patiently waiting for the courts to rule on this unjust punishment to doctors. We have since launched an urgent High Court application to reverse the decision,” he said.

Doctors through ZHDA recently filed an urgent chamber application in the High Court challenging the governments’ decision to deduct a total of $529 over two months from all doctors who participated in the industrial action.

The ZHDA also urged President Robert Mugabe, as he cleans up government of incompetent staff, to consider looking at ineffective institutions like the Health Services Board and officials in the Ministry of Health and Child Care who have proved that they are inept.