Zimbabwe - January 2023

President Emmerson Mnangagwa signed a bill into law that places new restrictions on Zimbabwean health workers’ right to strike. Amongst other things, the Health Service Amendment Act prevents health workers from striking for longer than 72 hours, either continuously or over a two-week period, and requires them to provide written notice 48 hours before a strike begins. Those who breach these provisions can be imprisoned for up to six months, a penalty that commentators have suggested is unusually stiff. The International Trade Union Confederation has described the law as draconian and asserted that the sanctions it imposes are contrary to freedom of expression and freedom of association. In recent years, Zimbabwe’s increasingly beleaguered healthcare system has been put under strain by frequent and long-strikes by health workers demanding improvements in working conditions.            

Sources: Health Service Amendment Act, South African Broadcasting Corporation, Al Jazeera, International Trade Union Confederation, The Conversation