Zimbabwe sacks striking nurses
News & Trends •
the zimbabwe government has sacked all striking nurses at public hospitals after they turned down a government offer of 17.1 million u.s. dollars to improve their pay1 the government said in a statement on tuesday that it regarded the industrial action as politically motivated and that it would immediately employ new nurses and recall those who retired from the service to replace the sacked health personnel1 following the decision by government yesterday monday to accede to the demands made by the striking nurses government regrets to note that the industrial action in this essential service sector has persisted1 what makes the whole action both deplorable and reprehensible is the fact that as agreed yesterday monday government today tuesday released and transferred a sum of 17.1 million u.s. dollars into the account of the ministry of health and child care for payment to the striking nurses1 while this demonstrated good faith from the government which has been effected against demonstrable economic challenges facing our nation it has not quite surprisingly persuaded the nurses to go back to their work stations in the interest of saving lives and helping patients placed under their care1 government now regards this lack of remorse as politically motivated and thus as going beyond conditions of service and worker welfare1 accordingly government has decided to discharge all the striking nurses with immediate effect the statement said1 the number of nurses fired could not be immediately established1 nurses at major public hospitals countrywide including in the capital harare and second city of bulawayo are on strike1 the strike by the nurses over better pay and working conditions was the second this year and followed a month-long strike by doctors last month1