Medical workers in Malawi began a nationwide sit-in strike Monday to press the government to meet its demands, which include special allowances and improved conditions of service.
The strike forced many patients in hospitals to return home without receiving medical care. The labour union, however, said some medical workers could treat patients in critical conditions.
General Secretary of the Physician Assistants Union of Malawi (PAUM), Daniel Nasimba said some staff members at the hospital were permitted to attend to patients with emergencies. He said, “At least we have people. Every department has someone who can attend to any emergency that can come in. What is happening now is called a sit-in. It’s not a complete shutdown of the health service. We are all at work, nobody is at home.”
He insisted the workers will not return to work fully until the government honours its agreement.
The strike began after negotiations between the medical workers and government officials on worker demands dating back to February fell through.
The government had reached an agreement with the medical workers that it would increase their allowances and improve their working conditions instead of meeting the 15% salary increment demand the labour union made
While the Malawian government said it had obtained an injunction preventing the strike from going ahead, Malawi’s organised labour said in a statement on Monday evening that they were consulting their legal team about the matter.