Nurses have become the latest civil servants to plot an industrial action against the government towards payment according to a message by the Zimbabwe Nurses Association (ZINA).
The message comes after negotiations between the nurses and their employer failed to yield results.
“Having failed to find a common position with the employer a deadlock has been declared,” the message reads.
“We are therefore issuing a notice of intent to embark on an industrial action in the next 14 days if our grievances are not addressed.”
Besides the nurses, teachers from the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) have also been plotting an industrial action on 5 June 2019, in the next 14 days, the same time their counterparts in the health department will be on strike
The teachers who were interviewed by bhizimusi.com demand to be paid in US Dollars.
“We can’t run away from US dollars based salaries because our country is heavily relying on imports, prices of basic goods and services are pegged on the market value of the US dollar,”, ARTUZ National president Obert Masaraure said.
“If the government prefers the eroded RTGS then they should constantly review it, based on the prevailing rates on the market. The $US 500 we were earning before this crisis should be paid to our teachers.”
The nurses are protesting against the rising costs of living in Zimbabwe, flexible working hours, vehicle loans scheme and their working environment.
Nurses were saved by President Emmerson Mnangagwa who told the medical practitioners to reapply after Vice President Constantine Chiwenga dismissed the civil servants from work.
