(LUSAKATIMES) Striking UTH nurses issue a 2-week ultimatum to Government

Striking UTH nurses issue a 2-week ultimatum to Government
Monday, June 22, 2009, 19:59

Striking nurses and other health workers at the University Teaching Hospital, UTH, have given government a two-week ultimatum in which to address their demands.

The workers have vowed to continue with the strike until government pays them improved risk, night duty, Uniform, and housing allowances among other demands.

They accused government of neglecting their plight of working up to 78 hours per week when ministers are getting huge salaries and allowances.

The workers issued the ultimatum when Labour Minister Austin Liato addressed them at UTH this afternoon.

The irate health workers, who displayed placards denouncing the effort by Labour Minister to address them, said they will not succumb to any form of intimidation by government.

"We demand equal treatment in the distribution of health care facilities with those in south Africa because nurses at UTH are working under difficulty situations. We see senior government officials being flown outside for medical treatment when that money can be used to purchase the needed equipment, where is the fairness?", Mr. Hikaumba wondered.
Zambia Congress of Trade Union, ZCTU, President, Leonard Hikaumba, who sympathised with the nurses advised government to desist from evacuating ministers to South Africa for medical treatment because the measure was compounding the problem in the health sector.

“We demand equal treatment in the distribution of health care facilities with those in south Africa because nurses at UTH are working under difficulty situations. We see senior government officials being flown outside for medical treatment when that money can be used to purchase the needed equipment, where is the fairness?”, Mr. Hikaumba wondered.

Mr. Hikaumba advised the nurses to remain united as ZCTU is working with the Zambia Union of Nurses Organisation, ZUNO, to pressurize government to improve conditions of service for public health workers.

He said the 15 per cent salary increment awarded to the nurses was done in good faith and dismissed claims that government bribed the labour leaders to settle for a ‘meagre’ 15 per cent salary increment.

He urged the health workers to go back to work because if they continued with the strike action, government would take advantage and weaken the solidarity in speaking with one strong voice through their reputable union, ZUNO.

But in response, Labour and Social Services Minister, Mr Liato urged the nurses to go back to work as their plight has been heard.

Mr. Liato, a former labour movement leader of the Energy and Allied Workers’ Union said negotiations for bargaining cannot be done in a short period of time but government acts when communicated to through labour union leaders.

He added that President, Rupiah Banda, has been in office for only nine months and pleaded that government be given enough time to address the concerns of the workers.

“Go back to work then the negotiation will go smoothly because government cannot start bargaining when workers are away. Government has heard from your side and so hear our side also. Allow the bargaining process to start because no-one is interested in trivialising this matter be it government or union leaders. As government we are addressing the strike with the urgency it deserves,” assured Mr. Liato.

ZANIS