The Zimbabwe Nurses Association (ZINA) has told the government that it stands in solidarity with the teachers suspended by the minister of education for going on strike. The teachers were suspended without pay for three months after they went on strike demanding higher salaries.

The nurses advised the government not to victimise the striking teachers, warning that they may be forced to take action since they are also
in a similar predicament. The nurses association called on the authorities to pursue dialogue instead of threatening the civil servants.

Below is the statement from the nurses association, which iHarare is publishing in full.

1. On the 10th of February 2022, the Zimbabwe Nurses Association received with great shock the press statement by the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education advising the nation that all officials who allegedly “absented themselves from duty since the official reopening of schools on the 7th of February 2022” had been suspended without pay for three (3) months.

2. The press statement was issued after members of the teaching profession had reached out to their employer, citing their incapacitated state that has affected the provision of teaching services.

3. Instead of instituting dialogue, the Ministry acted in a manner that is not only insensitive to the teachers but in any event unlawful as the suspension has no basis in law.

4. The plight of the teachers is the plight of every member in the Civil Service. It is no secret that the ordinary cost of living has gone up significantly, and the costs are now pegged in United States Dollars. Accordingly, the attitude taken by government in response to such genuine concerns is, in our view, representative of the attitude it views the plight of all public employees.

5. To this end, we confirm that we stand in solidarity with the teaching profession and echo the grievances they have made to government. Instead of using threatening tactics, the government must engage in genuine dialogue and desist from making unilateral offers that do not address the grievances raised.

6. We further implore government to immediately revoke the unlawful suspensions issued out to teachers and invite not only the teaching profession but the Civil Service at large, to the negotiating table to find a lasting solution.

7. Should it become clear that the government intends to proceed with its unlawful position, nurses in Zimbabwe will have to consider their position as we cannot watch our colleagues being punished for grievances that we all share.

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