WORKERS at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, Zimbabwe’s biggest referral hospice, have joined the growing list government and state funded institutions employees withdrawing their labour citing incapacitation.
On Wednesday, the workers wrote to the institution’s acting executive director Engelbart Mbengwa informing him that they were withdrawing their services with immediate effect.
“Reference is made to the above and subject that the health workers association having the negotiation space closed for almost a year have resolved to declare an incapacitation of its members,” the letter, dated February 23, 2022 reads.
“Non-claimable health sector specific allowances as agreed in the CBA 2 of 2018 i.e. on call, call out /standby night duty, nurse managers and special health allowances have not been reviewed for two years now,” the workers said.
“We need to remind the employer that these allowances are based on work done during odd hours with little compensation being offered to the employee. Uniforms allowance is now very negligible and cannot buy any soap or detergent,” they said.
The employees also bemoaned the freezing of the donor funded nostro retention allowances.
“These allowances ceased in 2020 and has now contributed to the mass exodus of health workers. There is little incentive to continue going for work in the health sector,” further stated the workers.
The workers said they are also not happy with their Covid-19 risk allowances which they said was last reviewed in 2020.
“These were last reviewed in 2020 and such are now very neglible considering the exposure of the health workers during this pandemic. Health workers never stopped reporting for duty even when most public servants were at home. The vehicle loan scheme agreed upon in CBA 1 of 2519 has been unilaterally stopped by the employer,” added the workers.
The health workers strike follows a similar move by teachers and universities workers who are citing similar reasons.
