Nurses down tools

Harare (New Ziana)- Nurses in public health institutions said on Friday they had gone on strike over what they called poor pay and incapacitation.

Zimbabwe Nurses Association president Enoch Dongo told New Ziana most members had already completely used up their June pay, and were having difficulties surviving.

“All nurses have embarked on a nationwide withdrawal of labour due to incapacitation. The salary that they got in June was eroded by inflation and it cannot take them a month.

“So nurses are severely incapacitated and they have exercised their democratic right to withdraw their labour,” he said.

The government last month increased salaries for civil servants, including nurses in public health institutions, by 50 percent, and offered an additional US$75 allowance, but this is yet to be paid.

The government has said it was still working on the pay increment, and payment modalities for the US dollar allowance, which will be in effect for just three months.

But Dongo said the delay had taken a heavy financial toll on nurses, hence the strike.

He said some public health institutions were victimising the striking nurses, a claim which could not be verified.

Dongo cited Parirenyatwa Hospital where he claimed nurses were being evicted from the institution’s hostels after refusing to be at work.

New Ziana