News / National
Nurses to work flexible hours
07 Dec 2020 at 20:43hrs | Views
NURSES can continue working flexible hours despite the noting of an appeal by the government against an earlier High Court decision granting that permission.
This comes after High Court judge Justice Happias Zhou granted the Zimbabwe Nurses Association (Zina) leave to execute a judgment granted in their favour to temporarily abort working normal hours pending the hearing of an appeal filed by the government to the Supreme Court.
On November 20, the High Court granted an interdict against the government and said it should not implement the directive to scrap flexible hours until the matter has been finalised.
This was after Zina had sued the Health Services Board, Health minister and Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, and permanent secretary in the Health ministry Jasper Chimedza, arguing that their members would be exposed to the risk of contracting the coronavirus (Covid-19) since health institutions were incapacitated.
However, the government appealed to the Supreme Court. "Notwithstanding the noting of an appeal against the judgment of this honourable court dated November 20, the first to third respondents remain barred from implementing the directive by the third respondent on October 19," Zhou ordered on Friday.
Zina president Enoch Dongo argued that prospects of success of the government's appeal were very weak but noted how nurses would suffer irreparable harm if the normal working hours are maintained.
"The applicant avers that if leave to execute is not granted there is a high likelihood that irreparable harm will result to the applicant's members. "The respondents will likely seek to discipline the applicant's members for allegedly disobeying the impugned directive," Dongo said.
"Further, nurses will be required to work normal working hours when they are incapacitated from doing so and also under circumstances where it is unsafe as they have not been provided with adequate personal protective equipment to keep them from catching the Covid-19 virus."
This comes after High Court judge Justice Happias Zhou granted the Zimbabwe Nurses Association (Zina) leave to execute a judgment granted in their favour to temporarily abort working normal hours pending the hearing of an appeal filed by the government to the Supreme Court.
On November 20, the High Court granted an interdict against the government and said it should not implement the directive to scrap flexible hours until the matter has been finalised.
This was after Zina had sued the Health Services Board, Health minister and Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, and permanent secretary in the Health ministry Jasper Chimedza, arguing that their members would be exposed to the risk of contracting the coronavirus (Covid-19) since health institutions were incapacitated.
Zina president Enoch Dongo argued that prospects of success of the government's appeal were very weak but noted how nurses would suffer irreparable harm if the normal working hours are maintained.
"The applicant avers that if leave to execute is not granted there is a high likelihood that irreparable harm will result to the applicant's members. "The respondents will likely seek to discipline the applicant's members for allegedly disobeying the impugned directive," Dongo said.
"Further, nurses will be required to work normal working hours when they are incapacitated from doing so and also under circumstances where it is unsafe as they have not been provided with adequate personal protective equipment to keep them from catching the Covid-19 virus."
Source - dailynews
