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Pay striking health workers, Maureen urges govt

Pay striking health workers, Maureen urges govt
Written by Zumani Katasefa, Mwala Kalaluka and Mwila Chansa
Sunday, June 21, 2009 3:23:22 PM

FORMER first lady Maureen Mwanawasa has urged the government to look for money to pay striking health workers in the country. And Civil Servants and Allied Workers Union of Zambia (CSAWUZ) Ndola branch chairperson Joy Beene disclosed that Cabinet Office has sent a circular to health workers, urging them to go back for work.

Speaking to journalists in Kitwe last Friday, Maureen said the striking health workers wanted to be heard.

"We have an emergency. I do not think nurses do not want to go back for work. They want someone to hear them as a parent. Our government system must look for resources, they [health workers] still want to serve, the issue of bread and butter must not be debated," she said.

Maureen said the government should re-organise resources in the country and create wealth for the people.

She said the government should use part of the profits that some parastatal institutions were making to help cushion the economic challenges the country was faced.

"Government should come up with a broad-based policy for civil servants for which they (civil servants) are worth," she said. "The government must be able to provide. The government cannot meet your wishes but can meet you in the gap."

Asked whether she had any presidential ambitions, Maureen said the presidency was given by the people.

"We want our leaders to start answering to the challenges of the people. The presidency is given by the people," she said. "We want to hear it from HH [Hakainde Hichilema], Sata to say 'our people have no water, have no food'. We should not start politicking. People want to eat, people want water. Anybody can stand up and say 'I want to be president'. The poverty levels in the country are just too high," Maureen said.

And health union officials in Kaoma said they were greatly disappointed with the 15 per cent salary increment that their national leaders had signed with the government.

Health Workers Union of Zambia (HWUZ) Kaoma District Hospital chairperson Royd Musangu said even though nurses at the health institution had not gone on strike, they were nevertheless disappointed with the increment.

Musangu said given the poor working conditions, the nurses at Kaoma Hospital had considered downing tools but that they waited patiently for the outcome of the negotiations between the national union leaders and the government.

"The strike was not active. Some are trying to consider going but there has not been a meeting; there has never been a meeting for us to decide as a team," Musangu said. "Operations are very normal except workers are demoralised. They are not happy with the 15 per cent that has been signed for."

Musangu said the union leaders needed to comprehensively explain to the membership in the countryside.

"If anything the members will decide. I think people were patiently waiting for the outcome, they really supported their friends who were striking," Musangu said. "We are very disappointed with the 15 per cent. We wanted something more than 30 per cent or something even better than 100 per cent."

Musangu said he was also disappointed that the national union leaders had not been communicating with the grassroot membership during the negotiation process, as was expected.

Asked on the way forward following the signing of the 15 per cent salary increment, Musangu said: "It will depend on the mood of the workers."

He said the pressure from the workers would determine whether there would be a health workers' strike in Kaoma or not.

"When you are not happy even when you are reporting for work you do not do what you are supposed to do properly," said Musangu, a radiograph technologist.

Zambia Union of Nurses Organisations (ZUNO) Kaoma Branch chairperson Entridah Mundia said the nurses in Kaoma had not gone on strike although they were not happy with the conditions.

"We are not happy with the 15 per cent," she said. "We have to wait for the top leadership to address us. We have to wait until things stabilise. We have to follow the right channel."

Mundia declined to comment on whether she was describing the on-going strike action by health workers in other parts of the country as illegal.

"We have to meet as nurses and decide and inform the higher authorities," said Mundia, a nurse.

And giving an update on the strike situation by health workers on the Copperbelt, Beene said Secretary to the Cabinet Dr Joshua Kanganja released the circular on June 15, 2009 although it only reached health institutions two days ago.

"We have received a circular from the Secretary to the Cabinet Dr Joshua Kanganja who is reminding workers to go back for work. The circular is saying that we are essential workers and should therefore go back for work," he said.

"There is also a form to be filled in which they are calling essential workers' certificate so that once you feel it in, then you are bound never to go on strike."

Beene said the local union leadership would on Wednesday meet their members and explain the implications of filling in the said form.

He said it was surprising that the government had now recognised health workers as essential workers and yet their pronouncements did not match with the salaries and conditions of service offered to them.

Beene said the workers had maintained that they would not resume work until their demands were met.

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

Labels: CSAWUZ, HEALTHCARE, MAUREEN MWANAWASA

posted by MrK @ 2:23 PM