Nurses union gives strike notice, threatens nationwide walkout in April

Zimbabwe’s main nurses union has formally served notice of a nationwide strike set to begin on April 15, threatening to cripple the country’s already fragile public health system if the government fails to address a raft of pay and conditions grievances.

The Zimbabwe Nurses Association (ZINA) served the notice on the Health Service Commission on Thursday, giving authorities until April 14 to respond – a deadline the union described as a deliberate extension beyond the statutory 48-hour notice period.

“We have been instructed by our members to advise your office that all nurses under your employ are going to embark in a nationwide strike,” ZINA National Executive President Enock Dongo wrote in the notice, which was copied to the Minister of Health and Child Care, provincial medical directors, chief medical officers and all matrons.

The strike is set to run from April 15 to 17.

The notice comes after spontaneous work stoppages at hospitals across the country last week, signalling deepening frustration with conditions of service that the union says have become untenable.

Chief among ZINA’s 10 grievances is what it describes as a basic salary that is “unacceptably low and not commensurate with the cost of living or the demands of the profession.”

The union warns the pay crisis extends beyond take-home earnings. Because retirement packages are calculated on the basic salary, nurses face a bleak old age regardless of how long they serve.

“This basic salary forms the basis upon which retirement packages are calculated,” the notice states, “effectively condemning nurses to retire into poverty after years of dedicated service.”

ZINA is demanding the urgent introduction of a Cost of Living Adjustment, saying there has been “no meaningful adjustment of salaries in line with the rising cost of living.”

The union wants a comprehensive review of the basic salary structure and an update of all health-specific allowances, which it says are “outdated and no longer meaningful in the current economic environment.”

The transport crisis has pushed the situation to breaking point. Recent fuel price increases have triggered steep fare hikes that nurses, already on stretched incomes, can no longer absorb.

“Nurses are now spending a disproportionate amount of their income on commuting, with some resorting to walking long distances to work,” the notice states. “This situation is unsustainable and directly affects attendance, morale and service delivery.”

ZINA is calling on the Health Service Commission to directly address transport challenges affecting attendance as one of its most urgent demands.

The union says nurses have been left in the dark about their own earnings, with unexplained deductions compounded by the prolonged unavailability of payslips.

“This constitutes a violation of basic labour rights and, in our opinion, is a position that has been allowed to persist without reason,” Dongo wrote.

On job grading, ZINA says a recent evaluation exercise has been “widely perceived as unfair, with nurses inadequately graded relative to their responsibilities and workload.” Despite repeated representations through the Health Apex Council, the union says the employer has been unresponsive.

“Our pleas have fallen on deaf ears and no effort at all has been given to address the situation, let alone remedy it,” the nurses said.

The union also flags reports of intimidation directed at nurses who have raised legitimate concerns, calling for “respectful engagement and the protection of labour rights.”

ZINA is demanding that institutional accommodation be provided free of charge to nurses, arguing the issue goes beyond housing costs.

“Institutional accommodation is not a luxury or convenience,” Dongo states, “but a necessity to ensure timeous response to emergencies and continuity of care.”

On shift work, the union says authorities have refused to allow nurses to have any say in how their schedules are structured and distributed. It is demanding “autonomy in determining and managing the distribution of shifts among staff, to promote fairness, efficiency, and quality of care.”

The strike would cover all nurses employed by the Health Service Commission across all 10 provinces – central, provincial and district hospitals, clinics and other health centres. Nurses stationed in intensive and critical care units have been instructed not to abandon their posts.

“Should there be a positive response to the demands, the nurses will consider canceling off the job action,” the nurses said.

The Health Service Commission had not publicly responded at the time of publication. *_-ZimLive_*