DOCTORS at public hospitals have turned down a 60% salary
rise offered by government and vowed to go ahead with their planned industrial
action starting today to press for a better offer and an improvement in their
conditions of service.
The latest strike, which is likely to trigger bloodbath in
the country’s already strained public health system, follows three similar
industrial actions by members of the Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors’ Association
(ZHDA) since President Emmerson Mnangagwa (pictured) assumed power nearly 18
months ago.
But the Health Services Board (HSB) accused the doctors of
“Nicodemusly” going behind their back to declare a stalemate after they had
signed up for a 60% pay rise.
“The HSB has learnt with disbelief and surprise by the
doctors’ intended strike letter which they presented to HSB on Friday. Doctors
are now singing a different tune a day after signing the agreement. The records
of the bipartite meeting held on Thursday August 29 do not show any dissent
from any members of the health apex council,” said HSB spokesperson, Rachel
Tryfine Dzukutu, responding to the notice by doctors to go on strike.
“The agreement was signed by the apex leader following an
outcome of a vote by all apex representatives; this is what the apex leader
told the government representatives at the meeting.”
NewsDay last night learnt that the HSB had summoned ZHDA
president Peter Magombeyi to an urgent meeting to stop the strike. Mugombeyi
said that he would not back down on the position taken by the association.
He said accepting the 60% increment would compromise their
chances of bargaining for a better offer.
“What the response from the HSB says is true, but they are
failing to get the correct point. We said we accept the offer, but it still
renders us incapacitated and until this (incapacitation) is solved, we are
going ahead with the strike until we are offered something meaningful,” he
said.
In December last year, doctors went on a six-week job
action over poor conditions of service.
Previously, they had downed tools over similar grievances,
before they were cowed into submission by suspected State security agents.
Newsday
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