The impasse between nurses and their employer, the Health Service Commission (HSC), must be addressed urgently, as it directly affects innocent patients who bear the brunt of any withdrawal of labour.
Nurses recently wrote to the HSC, giving notice of a three-day strike over poor remuneration and deteriorating working conditions, set to begin on April 15 if their grievances are not addressed.
However, in an announcement last week, Labour minister Edgar Moyo said the government would adjust all civil servants’ salaries effective April 1, following a job evaluation exercise. He did not disclose the figures. But unions raised concerns over the lack of adequate consultation during the evaluation process.
Over the years, the government’s major weakness has been a lack of sincerity during negotiations with its employees.
Nurses are the backbone of the country’s healthcare delivery system, particularly in primary healthcare, as they staff Zimbabwe’s thousands of clinics.
Their grievances are real and mirror the struggles faced by much of Zimbabwe’s working population, which continues to grapple with rising living costs driven by escalating fuel prices.
Transport costs, as well as the prices of goods and services, have surged, partly due to heightened tensions in the Gulf region.
Salaries, however, have not kept pace with these increases, resulting in declining morale and a compromised quality of service across health institutions.
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Globally, the nursing profession demands high levels of compassion, but compassion alone cannot sustain a healthcare system. The government must provide fair remuneration and improved working conditions to the thousands of nurses on its payroll.
Beyond salaries, authorities should introduce both monetary and non-monetary incentives — including affordable housing schemes, transport support and improved working environments — to restore dignity and motivation within the profession.
Zimbabwean nurses continue to migrate to countries offering better pay and working conditions. Competitive remuneration is therefore critical to stemming this skills flight.
The notice to strike should not be viewed as impatience, but rather as a response to prolonged government intransigence.
Both the government and nurses’ representatives must engage urgently and in good faith, demonstrating the resolve needed to break the deadlock within this window.
Ultimately, it is not the government that suffers when nurses go on strike, but ordinary citizens — particularly the poor — who cannot afford private healthcare or treatment abroad.
A successful resolution will not only avert a crisis, but also help safeguard the integrity of a healthcare system already under strain from dilapidated infrastructure, medicine shortages and low staff morale.
