ZAMBIA- Nurses and Midwives at the Zambia’s University Teaching Hospital has defied the ‘return to work’ order by the country’s Minister of Health, Dr. Joseph Kasonde, saying there will be no work until the government keeps to its promises to improve their living condition.

Last week, the minister ordered that the striking health workers should return to work, but the workers refuse to return to work contending that President Michael Sata’s government has yet to honor a promise to increase their salaries. The group representing the health workers union is part of the Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU).

The president of ZCTU, Leonard Hikaumba, urged the warring parties to resolve the impasse through dialogue.

“There has been an approach of using some sort of intimidation and using threats for nurses and midwives to go back to work, but our belief is that, if they went back to work as a result of such an approach, [it] would not work according to expectations.

“What we want is the settlement of this problem amicably, so that even as they go back to work they would be satisfied their issues are being given due attention.” Hikaumba said.

Sources revealed to CEOAFRICA.com that Zambians have started feeling the heat of the strike which commenced last week, as some administration officials blame the striking workers for not using the right channels to resolve their grievances, and accuse them of holding the administration to ransom.

However, Hikaumba insisted the administration should keep its promise.

“There was an indication from some top government officials that workers had been given 200 percent salary increase. So, when they received their new salaries and conditions of service, they discovered that was not the case, and that is what sparked off the protest,” said Hikaumba.

He said the workers want the government to detail how it will address their concerns.

“They want to hear from government what progress has been made in regards to the grievances that they had,” said Hikaumba. “In our meeting we had with them today, there is an indication that they would be willing to go back to work, as long as the government comes out clearly on the position [of] what they had promised.”

Hikaumba said the striking health workers are unlikely to succumb to threats and intimidation.