ZIMBABWEAN junior Doctors and nurses have downed tools following failure by government to resolve the long standing salary dispute which has dragged for years.
By Michael Gwarisa
This comes amidst indications that health care workers are earning a paltry monthly salary of ZW$18,000.00 per month, which is equivalent to US$30.00 on the parallel market.
Speaking during the protests at the Health Services Board (HSB) Head Quarters at Parirenyatwa Hospital, Health APEX panel leader Dr Tapiwanashe Kusotera said going to work under the prevailing inflationary was unsustainable.
As you may know, the economic situation in Zimbabwe bad. Inflation is skyrocketing, the cost of living is high. The lowest and healthcare worker took home ZW$18,000.00 which using today’s parallel market rate which is in actual fact the effective rate, was just US$30.00,” said Kusotera.
He added that government continues to misinform the public and is not telling the national what is actually prevailing on the ground.
“Government is not telling the people the truth that healthcare workers are under paid and workers are struggling to ends meet and we are still trying to make ends meet.”
According to the Zimbabwe Health Apex Council, meetings to negotiate salary adjustments were last held in April last year.
“Closure of negotiation space. It is important that we remind you, that we have not had a bipartite meeting since April 2021. This is despite our repeated efforts to engage the board. We have written to you more than 5 times to you requesting a meeting to no avail.”
“It is common knowledge that the economic conditions have deteriorated significantly in the last 6 months. This is clearly indicated by the rapid and precipitous fall in the inter-bank rate and the steep increase in inflation, now well over 130%. The loss of value of the local currency is apparent and evidenced by the government’s decision to pay farmers in USD. We therefore repeat our call for salaries USD.”
Meanwhile, government has since gazetted a new Statutory Instrument for a Collective Bargaining Agreement which will see health workers in the private sector are to receive salaries in the range of USD273 to USD536.
However, healthcare workers have maintained that they want their salaries in USD terms and not in the volatile local currency. Meanwhile, the Health Apex Council and HSB were locked in a meeting by the time HealthTimes left the scene.
