By Staff Writer
A council nurses group has called on its members to down tools with immediate effectciting critical shortages of Protective Personal Equipment needed to prevent the spread of Covid19.
In a notice addressed to Harare City Council signed by the Zimbabwe Urban and Rural Council Nurses Workers Union (ZURCNWU) sentiments that the employer was not forthcoming were echoed.
“We write to give to give you notice of collective job action for which members will embark on effective July 14 2020.The basis of the collective job action is failure and or refusal by the employer to provide our members with personal protective equipment,” the notice said.
ZURCNWU said nurses being frontline players in fighting the Covid19 whose cases are on the rise are threatened in the face of this occupational hazard which is compromising members’ health and safety.
“It is public knowledge that cases of Covid19 pandemic are at a higher risk of contracting the virus hence personal protective equipment is vital for their safety.
“Efforts to engage the employer since March 2020 for provision of protective equipment have been futile hence our members will resort to collective job action,” the nurses group said.
The organisation said its members remain committed to serve and will be able to report for duty as soon as adequate PPE is availed to them.
The development is likely to affect the already strained national health system which has since been struck a huge blow by the ongoing hospitals nurses strike over poor salaries.
