Nurses in Zimbabwe will stage a three-day protest after failed salary talks, citing low pay, transport costs and worsening hospital conditions.
Nurses across Zimbabwe have announced a three-day protest from April 20 to April 22, saying they will withdraw their labour if the government does not address low salaries and worsening working conditions in the public health sector. The action was confirmed by the Zimbabwe Nurses Association (ZINA), which said earlier plans for a protest scheduled for April 15 had been postponed.
In a statement shared on its social media platforms, the association said nurses in all provinces and districts were expected to take part in the planned protest. The union said the action follows months of engagement with the Health Service Commission and other authorities without meaningful progress on salaries, allowances and conditions of service.
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At Sally Mugabe Central Hospital in Harare, some nurses said they were preparing to protest within hospital grounds, signalling the beginning of a wider national job action. The hospital was also the scene of demonstrations in March, when workers complained that wages were no longer covering daily living costs.
Nurses say transport costs have become one of their biggest challenges. One nurse said workers could no longer afford even basic transport to report for duty. Previous reports indicated some staff were receiving transport allowances far below the cost of commuting to work each day.
The Zimbabwe Nurses Association said recent salary adjustments did not meet expectations raised during earlier discussions. According to the union, nurses believed meaningful increases would be reflected in the April pay cycle, but the final figures were viewed by members as too small to respond to the rising cost of living.
The union has also argued that nurses’ basic salaries remain too low for the demands of the profession. It said many members feel their earnings have been weakened by inflation and changes in the value of local currency wages. In past disputes, health workers have called for salaries linked to the United States dollar.
The planned strike is expected to place additional pressure on Zimbabwe’s public hospitals and clinics, many of which already face staff shortages, medicine supply challenges and ageing equipment. If large numbers of nurses stop working, routine services could be disrupted during the three-day period.
ZINA said critical care units would continue operating during the protest period. Reports said nurses working in intensive and critical care departments had been advised not to abandon patients, a move aimed at protecting emergency and life-saving services.
The government has previously acknowledged challenges in the health sector and announced salary adjustments for civil servants earlier this month. However, authorities have also cited fiscal constraints as a key reason for limited movement on worker demands.
The protest now places fresh focus on labour relations in Zimbabwe’s healthcare system. Unless talks resume and produce an agreement, nurses are expected to proceed with the nationwide action from Monday through Wednesday, raising concern over service delivery in hospitals and clinics across the country.
