Hospitals Face Disruption as Nurses Down Tools

By Kudzaishe Chimonera

Nurses have gone on strike over salaries and working conditions, saying recent pay increases offered by the government have failed to address mounting financial pressures.

The industrial action follows a protest about a month ago when nurses called for a substantial salary review to match rising living costs.

Health workers say the government later introduced salary increases of between US$30 and US$40 but many have described the adjustment as inadequate.

A nurses’ representative said staff had decided to withdraw their labour after repeated attempts to engage with the authorities produced no meaningful results.

“Since time immemorial we have tried to engage the employer in terms of salaries and other remuneration issues but the issues have not yet been addressed.

“The nurses have come, have gathered here and even as an association we have tried to stop this but we have failed. This is not political. It is about fair remuneration,” the representative said.

The representative said the strike was a last resort as many nurses were struggling to survive on current wages.

“We thought the employer was going to do something, but unfortunately up to today nothing has been done. Nurses are saying we are hungry and incapacitated. We are earning far below the poverty datum line,” he said.

The Zimbabwe Nurses Association (ZINA) said government officials had previously promised salary improvements during negotiations.

In a notice dated 14 April, ZINA president Enock Dongo said nurses had been assured that better pay would be reflected in the April 2026 payroll.

“During the engagements, authorities reportedly undertook to review and improve nurses’ salaries, assuring us that meaningful adjustments would be reflected in the April 2026 pay cycle and communicated publicly. Calculations of proposed salary increments were made by the employer and an undertaking to effect these from the April 2026 pay cycle was made,” the notice read

However, Dongo said the actual increases fell well below what had been discussed.

“It has, however, become clear that the increases that were implemented for the April 2026 salaries do not meet the undertaking given by the employer nor the expectations of the employees. The salaries are so inconsequential to such an extent that they remain a mere token that cannot be taken seriously,” the notice read.

In an interview, Dongo said nurses had expected a much larger rise.

“We were expecting more than US$550 to US$600 according to the figures that we had agreed on. But to our surprise, our nurses only got US$30–US$40. There has been no meaningful offer by the government since we started these engagements,” he said.

He confirmed that nurses would down tools from 20 to 22 April after what he described as failed talks and broken promises.

Speaking to striking workers at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital, Dongo warned that the health system was already under severe strain because of staff shortages.

“We have a shortage of more than 5,000 nurses as it is. Those people when they get their verifications, the figure will go to 10,000 of nurse shortage,” he said.

He urged the government to act quickly saying many nurses were struggling to pay for rent, transport, food and school fees while others were leaving the country in search of better opportunities abroad.