Striking junior doctors last night rejected a deal that was
signed between government and Apex team leaders which could have seen an end to
the month-long industrial action saying they did not agree to the proposals
tabled by the employer.
Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors’ Association (ZHDA)
secretary-general Mthabisi Bhebhe told The Standard last night that a deal that
had been reached between a group of doctors and the employer was unacceptable
and as the association representing the health workers, they did not append
their signatures to it.
“The person who signed the deal is only an Apex
representative. He does not speak on behalf of the doctors. We refused to
counter-sign the agreement because we do not agree with a number of issues
contained in the so-called agreement. In short, the strike is still on. It is
unfortunate that government wants to play to the gallery with facts,” Bhebhe
said.
According to the deal that was signed by one T A Zigora
representing government and a P Chivese on behalf of the workers, the striking
doctors have 48 hours to return to work while disciplinary issues that had been
raised against them would be dealt with by their seniors and not the Health
Services Board.
The deal also stated that the doctors were not to be paid
December salaries, but would be paid money in lieu of their leave days.
On vehicles for junior doctors, government agreed to give
them $7 500 duty-free importation of vehicles through a loan scheme for junior
doctors while their supervisors were to get $15 000 duty-free certificates and
the senior medical doctors $30 000.
“Based on this agreement, ZHDA will engage its members who
are on industrial action to go back to work within the next 48 hours,” reads
part of the deal.
The deal also stated that donor-funded allowances would be
paid in the currency the funder would have availed to government and the state
undertook to review working hours for junior doctors. The state also agreed to
review salaries for doctors in April, but rejected a proposal to pay the health
workers’ salaries in foreign currency. Standard
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