NURSES say they will go on a three-day strike in April if their demands are not met.
In a letter to Health Service Commissioner secretary Christopher Pasi on Thursday, the Zimbabwe Nurses Association (ZiNA) said its members would embark on a nationwide strike from April 15 to 17.
“Accordingly, kindly take this communication as a notice given to you in terms of section 16A(2)(c) the Health Service Act,” ZiNA said.
“We note that the notice period given in the legislation is 48 hours, however, in the spirit of amicable resolution of disputes, we have considered that we should give the employer a longer notice period so as to address the grievances of the nurses before the next pay cycle, failure of which, the nurses will have no choice but to carry out the strike.
“Accordingly, this notice shall run until April 14, 2026.”
They said the basis for the intended strike was unreasonably low basic salary and pension implications, absence of cost of living adjustment, escalating transport costs and unexplained salary deductions and absence of payslips.
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They also cited concerns regarding job evaluation and grading, outdated health-specific allowances, high cost of accommodation and shift work arrangements and global practice.
“Despite exhibiting patience and according the employer an opportunity to address the issue of health workers salaries, we note with concern that this has not been attended to,” ZiNA said.
“The basic salary for nurses remains unacceptably low and not commensurate with the cost of living or the demands of the profession.
“Of grave concern is that this basic salary forms the basis upon which retirement packages are calculated, effectively condemning nurses to retire into poverty after years of dedicated service.”
It added: “As there has been no meaningful adjustment of salaries in line with the rising cost of living.
“Nurses, therefore, demand the urgent introduction of a cost of living adjustment to cushion them against prevailing economic conditions.
“Recent increases in fuel prices have resulted in steep transport fare hikes.
“While the condition was already difficult prior to these increases, the situation has now become grave. Nurses are now spending a disproportionate amount of their income on commuting, with some resorting to walking long distances to work. This situation is unsustainable and directly affects attendance, morale and service delivery.”
On the issue of unexplained salary deductions and absence of payslips, ZiNA said its members continue to experience unexplained salary deductions.
“This is compounded by the prolonged unavailability of payslips, which denies nurses transparency and the ability to verify their earnings.
“This constitutes a violation of basic labour rights and, in our opinion, is a position that has been allowed to persist without reason.”
On job evaluation and grading, they said the recent job evaluation exercise was widely perceived as unfair, with nurses inadequately graded relative to their responsibilities and workload.
The nurses said delays in finalising and implementing grading outcomes had further worsened morale.
“While the Health Apex Council has written to the employer consistently raising issue with this exercise, our pleas have fallen on deaf ears and no effort at all has been given to address the situation, let alone remedy it.”