Maravi

Nurses refuse to resume work

Nurses refuse to resume work
Written by Staff Reporters
Tuesday, June 16, 2009 3:03:49 PM

STRIKING nurses in Lusaka have refused to return to work as long as the government does not respond to their demands. And resident doctors have called off their strike following a meeting they had with the Ministry of Health last Sunday.

Meanwhile, teachers in Lusaka have returned to work following the 15 per cent salary increment awarded to them. A check at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) yesterday found nurses from all clinics in Lusaka assembled at the car park near the casualty ward.

The nurses are demanding K1 million risk allowance, K1,925,000 night duty allowance, K1,500,000 uniform allowance and K500,000 overtime allowance.

Currently the nurses do not have risk allowance. They get K30,000 per month as night duty allowance, K40,000 per month over time allowance, K35,000 uniform up keep and K200,000 housing allowance.

One of the nurses, who sought anonymity, complained that their union leaders signed the 15 per cent salary increment without consulting them.

"Military people are given rice, beans, mealie-meal and cooking oil so what is different about us? We also want all the outstanding allowances owed paid up. And the same K200,000 that we are given as housing allowance is deducted for the one room that we occupy here [at UTH]. So we will not go back to work," she said.

Another nurse said if the government did not have money to pay the health workers, the K27 billion would not have been plundered from the Ministry of Health.

The nurse said the scandal at the Ministry of Health was an eyeopener to health workers.

She said the health workers had not been incited by any political party but were incited by their pay slips.

"At the end of the day, we go to the same shops with these people. Our children cannot even go to proper schools and immediately when our landlords hear that we have been given an increment, they will increase rent and this is why nurses will continue going to the United Kingdom. Those who have gone are even building houses. We don't want senior health workers issuing statements because we will not go back to work until we are addressed here," they said.

Another nurse said since the strike started, no government official had gone to assess the situation.

"When Frederick Chiluba was president, he came to address us here and there are no military personnel working in the hospital. And where are they going to get allowances if they can't pay us? We have lost confidence in our union leaders, they are not representing us. How can they sign for 15 per cent without consulting us?" one of the nurses asked. "So from today, we will be assembling at the Cancer Centre; the nurses, lab technicians, clinical officers and paramedics. We will be standing outside until our grievances are heard."

The nurses said the continued silence on the strike by health personnel would cause a lot of problems in the country.

"We are not happy to be here and we want to see the patients get better but minus money we will not go back to work. We work under very stressful conditions. One nurse works from 18:00 hours to 07:30 hours alone and you have to provide your own tea. If you don't have money then you will stay just like that. Sometimes there are 33 deliveries in the night and only two nurses. We are being tortured mentally and if they force us to go back for work, are we going to smile at the patients?" the nurse asked.

The nurses said doctors could not work in isolation and needed nurses to assist them.

A check at some clinics in Lusaka found the wards deserted as the nurses had camped at UTH.

And Resident Doctors Association of Zambia (RDAZ) president Dr Crispin Moyo said the situation in the wards was bad.

Dr Moyo said most of the wards had been closed so that the skeleton staff could manage the patients.

He said some patients who were supposed to be admitted were being sent home.

Dr Moyo said the resident doctors countrywide had called off their strike after consultations with health minister Kapembwa Simbao.

He said the doctors decided to return to work in public interest and for the sake of the patients.

Dr Moyo said the Ministry of Health had committed itself to resolving the outstanding issues on accommodation for the doctors.

He said the ministry promised to look into the accommodation problem for intern doctors, postgraduate student who were the backbone of the health institution.

"They had accommodation problems and the ministry has promised to look into this," he said.

Dr Moyo said there was no timeframe given as the discussions were honest, adding that he had no doubt that the minister would deliver his promises.

He urged the government to invest in the health sector so that they could improve service delivery and the working conditions.

"We also call on the government to seriously look into the conditions of services for doctors. Doctors do not work in isolation, we therefore implore the government to address the plight of all health workers in the interest of the public," Dr Moyo said.

RDAZ currently has over 600 members countrywide, with over 300 situated at UTH.

Meanwhile, teachers in Lusaka have resumed work following the signing of a 15 percent salary increment.

A check at most schools found lessons going on normally.

At Munali High School, the pupils were writing their mid-term tests.

However, in Livingstone in Southern Province the nurses vowed not to report for work despite their union leaders' appeals for them to end the strike.

The group of nurses, who spoke on condition of anonymity, stormed The Post newspapers offices at Liso House yesterday, saying they would not return to work until the government gives them better conditions of service.

"We will just sit at home like our friends in Lusaka and Copperbelt and we have also resolved to pass a vote of no confidence in our union leaders as they have betrayed us," one nurse said.

The nurses challenged the government to explain what happened to the reported distribution of uniforms on state television last year.

"... We were told on TV that government has started to distribute uniforms to us but up to now we have not received anything. They are just giving us K30,000 as uniform allowance. Where did you see a nurses uniform costing K30,000? Even Rupiah Banda does not buy farm uniforms at a cost of K30,000 for his workers at his farm. Does the government want us to go in khaki uniforms?" the nurse asked.

In Ndola on the Copperbelt, health workers resolved to continue with their strike until their national union leaders explain why they betrayed them.

The slogan-chanting workers who gathered at Arthur Davison Children's Hospital vowed that they would have another Black Wednesday where they wanted the union leaders to bid farewell to them because that would be the last time they would talk to them as their representatives.

They gave the national union leadership up to tomorrow to address them at Ndola Central Hospital Cafeteria where they were also expected to pass a vote of no confidence in them.

The workers said the 15 per cent salary increment signed by the national leadership was not only too little but also an insult to their education, dignity and integrity.

"If Sampa wanted to sign the 15 per cent, why didn't he consult us?" asked one of the workers. "We are failing to send our children to school; people's children are dying in this hospital, Sampa should be ashamed for being the cause of all those deaths through his greed."

The worker shouted, "Abash Sampa abash!" as the others responded in unison "Abash!"

They also denounced chief government spokesperson Lieutenant General Ronnie Shikapwasha and works and supply minister Mike Mulongoti.

Another worker urged her colleagues not to be intimidated by threats from the government because power lay in their hands.

"Balitutola elo balitwingilila [They have taken us for granted] but I want to appeal to all those who are intimidated because of what they watch on ZNBC at 19:00 hours. Switch off that TV at 19:00 hours and get your latest from the meetings here," she added.

The worker further said those who signed the agreement represented themselves and not the workers.

Another worker urged the Task Force on Corruption to move in and investigate activities of the Health Workers Union of Zambia (HWUZ), which she claimed was allegedly spearheaded by former health permanent secretary Dr Simon Miti.

Another nurse who only identified herself as Mrs Nyirenda wondered who President Rupiah Banda was governing because people were perishing.

She urged President Banda to address the workers and hear them out.

Another worker described the 15 per cent increment as rubbish on top of rubbish.

"And this is why we will continue with the strike so that they know that we have refused 15 per cent. Sampa is an ... 70 x70," said the worker.

He also demanded that the government pays gratuities to all those that were employed by the dissolved Central Board of Health in addition to paying long service, repatriation and settling in allowances to all those that were entitled.

Later in an interview after the meeting, group spokesperson Joy Beene appealed to the national union leaders to address the workers as requested.

Beene said the union leaders needed to explain why they signed the 15 per cent salary increment without permission from the workers more so that they had made it clear that they wanted a block figure and not percentage increments.

HWUZ branch chairman James Kafwaya called for Zambia Congress of Trade Unions president Leonard Hikaumba's resignation for failing to provide leadership.

In Kitwe, striking teachers yesterday refused to report for work and marched to District Education Board Secretary (DEBS) Sacks Mwansa’s office where they presented their grievances.

The teachers vowed to continue with their industrial action until the government paid them their fixed band allowances in full.

The teachers said they did not want the government to pay them fixed band housing allowance in piecemeal.

"This government does not care and has no compassion for us teachers, but time will catch up with them," said Moses Mukuka, a SESTUZ Kitwe district committee member.

Mukuka said there was no way teachers would continue living in servant quarters, saying they would not report for work until their problems were addressed in full by the government.

The teachers repeatedly interrupted the speech by Mwansa as they chanted slogans and sang songs to show their displeasure, as he addressed them.

"Tatwafunde! Tatwafunde insala yachilamo!" sung the irate teachers. " leka teacher atushe nyamasoya afunde!" they further sung as Mwansa addressed them.

Mwansa pleaded with the teachers to return to work while their grievances were being addressed by government.

He said the government had released the fixed band housing allowance for two months to pay teachers in Kitwe District and that a salary increment of 15 per cent had been given to the teachers, saying there was no need for them to continue with their strike.

However, the teachers refused to listen to Mwansa's appeal.

The teachers who had earlier gathered at Rokana School accused the government of trying to divide them by their failure to release the fixed band in full and at once.

The teachers also threatened to withdraw their monthly contributions to their respective unions, accusing their national union leaders of having betrayed them.

In Luanshya, only a few teachers reported for work and no serious lessons took place in most of the schools.

Luanshya District ZNUT chairperson Alex Kaputula said teachers would hold a general meeting tomorrow where they would decide whether to resume work or not.

"Things are bad, only a few teachers reported for work today. Many of them stayed away. They are going to have a general meeting on Wednesday to chart the way forward," Kaputula said.

In Mpongwe, the situation was similar to Luanshya where only a few teachers reported for work.

Teachers talked to complained that their union leadership had betrayed them by settling for a 15 percent salary increment.

And during a meeting held yesterday at Victoria Hall, Secondary Schools Teachers Union of Zambia (SESTUZ) representative Robert Liyanda had a hard time convincing teachers to return to work.

"When you need a change it is not difficult, our leaders have said that they will be coming here," said Liyanda, amid shouts of “no” from the striking workers.

Later, when Liyanda called for comments, a teacher at St Raphael's Secondary School Herbert Mukuyamba said the workers had contributed a lot of money to the union for them to be represented.

"We have been contributing for effective representation but the union has only managed to successfully misrepresent us. We need to come up with a task force to draw up a list of members who would like to stop contributing to the union," he said.

The teachers later went to The Post newspapers offices led by Warrior Shampile.

"We are calling for the Auditor General to also audit the union offices as we don't know how much they are getting and what they use the money for. Yes, we have agreed to go back for work, but we shall not do anything. We are virtually on go-slow. Our union leaders have betrayed us. They have enriched themselves at our expense, they have bought expensive cars. We shall from here submit forms to all government departments to make a stop order over the union deductions. That is our resolution," Shampile said.

And in Chipata in Eastern Province, Zambia National Union of Teachers (ZNUT) observed that there was resistance from striking teachers to return to work even after the signing of the 15 per cent salary increment.

The strike action by some health workers in Eastern Province has continued.

In interview yesterday, ZNUT provincial vice secretary Simon Banda urged the striking teachers to resume work.

"As ZNUT in the province we are urging the teachers to get back to work. Our national leaders will be coming may be next week to talk to them," Banda said.

ZNUT organising secretary Arthur Banda said national leaders were expected in the province yesterday.

"The national leaders are coming to talk to the teachers about the collective agreement but I haven't read the agreement yet I am hesitant to comment because I don't want to mislead the teachers," Banda said.

But some teachers who declined to be named said they have been let down by their union leaders for signing the 15 per cent salary increment.

Some pupils from various schools in Chipata said most teachers were not teaching.

A check at Chipata General Hospital yesterday found some student nurses and senior management staff attending to patients.

HWUZ Chipata General Hospital branch chairperson Trywell Mwiinga said the workers had refused to call off the strike.

Mwiinga said the workers wanted the government to address all the salary-related allowances and not only the salary increment.

"The workers are saying they will not continue because it was a collective bargain but only a salary increment of 15 per cent was signed. So the workers are saying they will not start working because other allowances like housing allowance and other allowances have not been touched," Mwiinga said.

HWUZ provincial chairperson Otton Kaluba said workers in Chipata and Petauke had continued with the withdrawal of labour.

"The workers did not only ask for one condition of salary increment because you know when you go for collective agreement it means you are talking of a package of salary increment, other conditions like housing allowance, uniform allowance, night allowance, overtime allowance. But our union and the government they just touched one area which is salary increment," Kaluba said.

And Public Service workers in Mazabuka vowed to continue with their strike action and dismissed threats of punishment by the government authorities.

The workers who include teachers, health and other essential government workers resolved to continue with the strike action during a meeting held at Kaonga Basic School grounds.

Mazabuka district (SESTUZ) chairperson, Keny Simwale said no amount of intimidations would scare public workers.

Civil Servants and Allied Workers Union of Zambia (CSAWUZ) Mazabuka district vice-chairperson, Kennedy Mutale said public service workers had also resolved to demonstrate against government's failure to meet their demands.

Mutale said public service workers had resolved to contribute K75,000 to meet travel expenses for union leaders to go round some schools where teachers were being intimidated.

And nurses and other health workers in Solwezi in North Western Province had continued with their strike, demanding that government increases their housing allowance.

Solwezi General Hospital had been forced to hire nurses from Hill Top Hospital to man critical wards at the hospital following the continued strike by the nurses.

The nurses who gathered at the provincial administration offices, chanting slogans, denounced the union leaders who signed for the 15 per cent salary increment as having been corrupted by the government.

"We are here to present our eviction letters to the permanent secretary because we have nowhere to stay. We are going to continue with our strike as long government does not increase our housing allowance or let them find us decent accommodation for K200,000 which they are giving us," one nurse said.

The nurses, who preferred to remain anonymous, said they had sacrificed enough and they were not ready to back down on their demands for the government to provide them with decent accommodation.

They said the government sold institutional houses and it was the responsibility of the employer to provide decent accommodation for the employee which government was failing to provide.

"We are not interested in the salary increase but our main concern is the housing allowance. On this one we are not ready to go back for work until government increases our housing allowance," another nurse said.

A check at the general hospital revealed that student nurses were still manning the wards.

Sources at the hospital disclosed that management had hired nurses from Hill Top Hospital to man the most critical wards at the institution.

"The situation is really bad, management has been forced to hire nurses because the workforce is even below five per cent," said the source.

Labels: NURSES, STRIKE

posted by MrK @ 2:03 PM