The Zimbabwean government has banned lengthy strikes by health workers in a new law signed by President Emmerson Mnangagwa last week, the state-run Herald newspaper reported Wednesday.
According to the new Health Services Amendment Act, government health workers can no longer strike for more than three continuous days in any two-week period, and in the event that they go on strike, they should continue to provide emergency services, the Herald reported.
Under the new law, health workers now have their own independent commission, the Health Services Commission, to set their conditions of service, which means that government health workers are now independent of the Public Services Commission, an autonomy that is also shared by the judiciary, the defense forces and the police.
The new law came as the Zimbabwean government has over the years experienced frequent and often prolonged strikes by healthcare workers, including nurses and medical doctors, over better pay and working conditions. Enditem
