Doctors in Zimbabwe have started their strike around the country today.
A doctor’s representative, speaking on condition of anonymity said the Strike will be full fledged by Monday morning when no doctor will go to work.
This is one of the messages circulating among Doctors:
Good evening comrades and Friend. Today marks the last day of us as doctors subsidizing the employer by going out of our means and some even going to the extent of borrowing inorder to report for duty .
It was a day that was filled with a hive of activities as solidarity meetings were being held at all central hospitals and it triggered different individuals in different offices to react. Amongst them where hospital CEO’s from HCH And Mpilo hospital who wanted to seek for urgent meetings, a move that was resoundingly rejected by the respective constituent sasampleti me for dialogue was given since the issue of the notice of incapacitation.
HSB also reacted by calling for an urgent meeting after hours with ZHDA’s current President and his Executive team .The meeting was attended by the Acting president Dr Peter Magombeyi, Acting Secretary General DrTawanda Zvakada and the outgoing treasure general Dr Prince Butai.
The key issues raised at the Meeting by HSB chairman Dr Singosana was that according to the reports from the recently finished bipartite meetings the government which is the employer had reached an agreement with the employees of adjusting salaries with 60-70%.
The acting president clarified that a vote was conducted and the various leaders of different associations within the health profession had agreed to a salary adjustment of 60-70% but we as ZHDA had not agreed to tha tdecision.
The other point that was clarified at the meeting was that this wasn’t a collective industrial action but that doctors are now incapacitated to report for duty. Until our salaries are reviewed at the prevailing inter bank rate were main incapacitated as all other expenditure such as basic food stuffs, transport, rentals e.t.c are now reviewed at the prevailing interbankrate but our salaries are going to be adjusted by a mere 60%.
Cushioning allowance was said to becoming as promised but we reiterated that it was not enough to capacitate. There being no hopes for reasonable way forward ZHDA executives walked out of the meeting.
WE NOW AWAIT FOR DIALOGUE WITH THE EMPLOYER WHILST WE ARE AT HOME STARTING THE 3rd of SEPTEMBER 2019.
ZHDA acting President Peter Magombeyi ZHDA acting secretary general Tawanda Zvakada
