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Address striking health workers’ demands, Hikaumba urges govt

Address striking health workers’ demands, Hikaumba urges govt
Written by Maluba Jere, Mutale Kapekele, Kabanda Chulu and George Zulu
Monday, June 22, 2009 4:03:20 PM

ZAMBIA Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) president Leonard Hikaumba has said demands by striking health workers in the country are genuine and need to be addressed with the seriousness they deserve. And the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) and some clinics around Lusaka yesterday remained deserted with just a few patients and students nurses at the premises.

In an interview yesterday, Hikaumba urged the government to desist from issuing statements that intimidated and threatened the health workers.

Hikaumba said the statement by chief government spokesperson Lieutenant General Ronnie Shikapwasha that nurses who did not want to resume work should resign would not help the situation.

"There shouldn't be any statements that are likely to aggravate the situation as it is already bad," Hikaumba said. "I would like to appeal to government to stop issuing threats and statements that are intimidatory because the aim is to arrive at an amicable solution. Such statements from the minister will only aggravate the situation."

Hikaumba, who described the strike action by health workers as a complex issue, expressed optimism that a solution would be found.

"We believe that problems are always there but as long as people are willing to talk, to discuss and understand each other, there is nothing impossible in finding a solution," he said. "The issue is complex but the demands are genuine. In fact, demands by all government workers are genuine and certain things need to be looked into to deal with the problem."

Hikaumba said since the unions were still negotiating, they would present before the government many other issues affecting workers that needed to be looked into.

Recently, Lt Gen Shikapwasha said the strike action was bad especially that nurses had failed to reason, claiming that they were being incited by the opposition political parties in the country.

He said nurses who felt they could not go back to work should resign.

Lt Gen Shikapwasha said the government had spoken and that it was up to the striking nurses to decide whether to go back to work or resign.

Health workers in most parts of the country have been on strike for over a month now, demanding improved conditions of service.

An on-the-spot check at UTH revealed the hospital had a handful of student nurses attending to a few patients.

The high cost section of the hospital was also closed.

The hospital was also being guarded by plain-clothed security personnel who were seen on benches in most of the wards.

The only active ward at the hospital was B13 high cost maternity ward where nurses were seen working.

A nurse talked to said the matrons, who were originally not part of the strike, were still not working in protest against paramilitary police presence at the hospital.

"The matrons and senior nurses who were still working have not yet returned and we still have security people within the hospital but they are not in uniform," the nurse said. "We have just been told that the strike is ending tomorrow. So maybe tomorrow you will find the nurses working."

The morning matron, who refused to be named, referred all queries to the Ministry of Health.

At Chipata clinic, patients were seen outside with no one attending to them.

The maternity section of the clinic was the only open department with the matron attending to all the patients.

The situation was worse at Ng'ombe clinic where only the guard and a cleaner were found at the premises.

And Economics Association of Zambia (EAZ) immediate past national secretary Chibamba Kanyama warned the government that continued strikes by public services workers were a risk that would strain the economy in general.

Kanyama said even if public service workers were not directly linked to the production sector, their withdrawal of labour for prolonged periods could have fundamental lasting economic damage to the economic stability.

"The existing threat is on the attainment of low inflation, low unemployment, low interest rates and high growth rates. In other words, all the anticipated economic gains in this year's budget will be significantly affected if the social services sector records low output. The issue of productivity in the public service has for many years been under question," Kanyama said. "This is testimony to the fact that man-hours in the public service are a critical input towards national growth. And it is for the same reason that the public service takes up close to nine per cent of the Gross Domestic Product in expenditure and to tolerate the withdrawal of labour for several weeks is taking risks with socioeconomic stability."

He said it would not be long before the private sector begins to feel the impact of the civil service strikes as the country experiences a huge social burden in terms of costs associated with suspended health provision and other services.

"In addition, the strikes have posted a level of political and economic uncertainty that will have long term implications on investor perception of the business climate and it must be appreciated that the efficient provision of public goods such as education, health care, and law enforcement generally lead to sustained levels of economic growth," said Kanyama. "It is, therefore, important that the government and trade unions should put an end to these strikes immediately and begin to align public service efforts towards economic management and efficient service provision. The longer we allow the current impasse to persist, the more harm we create to the economy both in the short and long term.

Monze Central UPND member of parliament Jack Mwiimbu said the silence by President Rupiah Banda on the continued strike by nurses and other health workers throughout the country was deafening and shocking to the nation.

Mwiimbu said the President should come out very categorically and state the government's position on the strike by health workers.

He said it was unreasonable for any government to remain quiet when people were dying because of the withdrawal of labour by health workers.

"It is really shocking that a head of state could be that adamant at such a critical time, as Zambians we should be worried at the kind of leadership we have in the nation. Nurses, teachers and other civil servants have gone on strike but the President is not interested in restoring the pride of the people by addressing the concern raised by workers. This government has failed to govern this country," he said.

Mwiimbu charged that the government had committed treason by allowing people in hospitals to die when they were other means to resolve the industrial unrest which the nation was currently experiencing.

"If there is anyone who has committed treason, it is government because they have allowed the situation in the health sector to reach deplorable state where people are dying without any responsive action and government should not put the blame on people speaking on behalf

of the Zambians, no. They should not accuse other political leaders of inciting workers, the Rupiah Banda administration has failed completely to address the situation and it is a sad development," Mwiimbu said in an interview after addressing hundreds of UPND members at Monze Youth Project last Saturday.

Mwiimbu also said there was no need for the government to deploy the police at UTH to harass nurses because the current situation was an industrial matter.

He said the government was a responsible institution and should be seen to be negotiating with health workers than resorting to harassing them.

Mwiimbu said if the financial management of the country was prudent most of the demands by health and other government workers could have been resolved.

"If you look at the corruption and the grand theft that is taking place in government, if that money was prudently used they would have resolved most of the issues the workers are asking government to undertake," Mwiimbu said.

New Generation Party president Humphrey Siulapwa urged health workers in the country to accept the 15 per cent salary increment and return to work.

In a statement released yesterday, Siulapwa advised nurses to resume work as their leaders negotiated for the other conditions of service and that health worker would be responsible if more people died as a result of the strike.

But Southern Province Secondary School Teachers Union of Zambia [SESTUZ] challenged government to avert the strike by public service workers by forgoing the mid-term gratuity for parliamentarians.

"Our members feel betrayed by government and national union leaders, government has indicated that there is no money and workers are seeing this. So they should forgo their mid term gratuity to avert any possible chaos in the country. These workers are not happy and what government should not forget is that workers are meeting tomorrow Monday [today] to chart the way forward," said SESTUZ provincial chairperson Collins Malambo. "Yes, as union leaders we have done our part to ask our members to return for work but they will resolve that on their own at a meeting. Mind you negotiations are still going on the housing allowance and rural hardship.”

Labels: HEALTHCARE, LEONARD HIKAUMBA, STRIKE, ZCTU

posted by MrK @ 3:03 PM