LABORATORY technicians and pharmacists at public hospitals have threatened to stop attending on-call duties in protest over the recent cut of their on-call allowances by the Health Service Board (HSB).
BY KUDZAI MUCHENJEKWA
The HSB recently technically slashed the allowances by creating a parallel allowance known as the special medical allowance for its non-clinical staff.
The health workers said last week they held a meeting with the HSB, where they were asked to put their demands in writing.
But in a statement yesterday, the Zimbabwe Association of Medical Laboratory and Clinical Scientists (ZAMLCS) accused the HSB of breaching the parties’ collective bargaining agreement, which stipulated that $720 was the minimum fee that the health workers were to get as on-call duties.
“These rates used are not honouring the Collective bargaining Agreement (CBA) 2 of 2018, which reviewed various health sector specific allowances. The CBA 2 of 2018 states that the new on call allowances sliding rates ranges from $720 – $1 680 instead of the used sliding rate of $360 – $720,” the statement read in part.
ZAMLCS added that allowance cuts were unfair and called on the government to urgently review the decision.
“We feel that this reduction, in the name of rationalising is unjustified and prejudices our members. We therefore advise the HSB to reinstate the terms of CBA 2 of 2018 and we urge HSB and the government to look into this matter urgently as it affects the ability of medical laboratory and clinical scientist to optimally deliver health care services in the Republic of Zimbabwe.”
