Chitungwiza Municipality nurses yesterday went on strike,
attending to maternal emergencies only, citing lack of Covid-19 lockdown
allowances, lack of protective equipment and poor working conditions.
At all four Chitungwiza clinics, nurses were present, but
on a virtual go-slow as they were only
assisting with emergencies at the maternal section until their grievances were
addressed.
Chitungwiza Acting Town Clerk Dr Tonderai Kasu described
the industrial action as illegal and unnecessary since the nurses were about to
be paid by Government, which was taking over the clinics for the duration of
the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The action by Chitungwiza Municipality nurses this morning
was completely unnecessary because even before the strike had started, central
Government had already made a commitment that it was going to start paying all
of our professional health staff,” he said.
“Our health staff rushed to go on the illegal strike unaware
of the development. Central Government had previously indicated that they were
using powers under the Civil Protection Act to take over our city council
clinics in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Dr Kasu said on Wednesday, the municipal adminsitration had
a meeting with Secretary for Health and Child Care Dr Agnes Mahomva whose
agenda was to operationalise the takeover of city council clinics by central
Government.
“At this meeting, we were told that central Government is
going to be paying all of our council health staff,” he said. “Council, of
course, will continue paying its staff, but what council will continue paying
will be a top-up to what Government will be paying because it made a commitment
that it would be paying our council health professionals.
“We have already submitted banking details of all our
health staff to the Ministry of Health and we were expecting to receive the
first payment from Treasury for our health staff any time within the next one
or two working days, bearing in mind that Friday is a public holiday.”
At St Mary’s Clinic, doors were closed with a poster
inscribed “Feel for the health worker” stuck at the main entrance.
Another poster said the nurses would not work if there was
no personal protective equipment, Covid-19 allowances, lockdown allowances,
food, training on Covid-19 and Covid-19 consumables.
Some workers were basking in the sun and turning away
patients. It was the same at Zengeza 3 Polyclinic where staff was
seated outside and not attending to patients.
Some of the nurses who spoke on condition of anonymity said
they were not capacitated to continue working and were thus putting their lives
at risk.
“Some of us are owed over 36 months’ salaries in United
States dollars, which we are unlikely to get,” said ones. “There has been no
salary review since January and we are earning less than $1 000 a month.”
Chitungwiza Municipality Workers’ Union chairperson
Reverend Ephraim Katsina said Chitungwiza Town Council administration should
prioritise the concerns of the health personnel to avoid putting the residents’
lives in danger.
Chitungwiza Progressive Residents’ Association
secretary-general Mr Gift Kupurati said it was regrettable that the nurses had
stopped work. Herald
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