Zimbabwe Nurses Threaten Showdown Over Unpaid Allowances

NURSES say they have been betrayed by the government after it failed to honour an agreement to increase health-specific allowances. The allowances were last reviewed in 2022 and health workers are demanding an adjustment, arguing the current allocation has been eroded by the high cost of living. According to the Zimbabwe Nurses Association (ZINA) the government had promised the health workers a review before the mid-year, and has failed to fulfil that. Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn Zimbabwe Nurses Association (ZINA) president Enock Dongo said the government's failure to honour the agreement threatens to push health workers to the edge. "The Zimbabwe Nurses Association president and Health Apex Team leader Enock Dongo is deeply disappointed by the government's repeated betrayal of health workers after failing to honour its promise to review health-specific allowances. "The latest betrayal is when the government said there is 'no fiscal space' to honour its commitment. This is unacceptable and risks pushing an already demoralised health workforce to the limit. "The continued failure to honour commitments made to nurses, doctors, pharmacists, radiographers, laboratory scientists and other health professionals has reached a point where we can no longer remain silent. We are saying enough is enough," said Dongo. Health workers have been at loggerheads with the government over poor remuneration, demanding an increase in their salaries. Dongo demanded that the government immediately address the health workers' plight and increase their allowances. "We demand the following, as a matter of urgency: Immediate review of health-specific allowances, backdated to the 2022 review. "Honouring of the April 2026 commitment and the June 2026 deadline set by the Health Bipartite negotiating panel. Public accountability from Ministers Mombeshora and Ncube for misleading health workers. "Immediate engagement with ZINA and other health worker representatives to resolve this matter before the situation deteriorates beyond repair," said Dongo further. Read the original article on New Zimbabwe . AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 90 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals , representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica . To address comments or complaints, please Contact us . AllAfrica is a voice of, by and about Africa - aggregating, producing and distributing 600 news and information items daily from over 90 African news organizations and our own reporters to an African and global public. We operate from Cape Town, Dakar, Abuja, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Washington DC. Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy . We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.