Title: “Public sector nurses on strike: call on the government to align risk premiums throughout the Republic”
Introduction :
The situation of public sector nurses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to raise concerns. Nurses’ unions recently organized a sit-in in front of the Primature in Kinshasa to demand that the government align the risk premiums for nurses in new units throughout the country. This demand follows the failure of the government to honor its commitments made at previous meetings. Faced with this situation, the nurses are threatening to relaunch their strike suspended a few days ago.
Development :
The nurses, represented by the SOLSICO union, are demanding in particular the alignment of the new units with the risk premium, the mechanization of unpaid nurses, the tenure and promotion in grades, as well as the admission under status of the new units. These demands follow an agreement reached at previous meetings, which has not been respected by the government.
SOLSICO’s general secretary, Anaclet Shisso, deplores the government’s unwillingness to meet with the unions and release the necessary funds. He also points out that the nurses were unable to discuss with the Prime Minister during their sit-in.
Conclusion :
The situation of public sector nurses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is worrying. The failure to respect the commitments made by the government concerning the alignment of risk premiums and the situation of the new units arouses the anger of the nurses. If no progress is made in the negotiations, a relaunch of the strike is envisaged. It is therefore crucial that the government takes concrete measures to meet the demands of nurses and guarantee better working conditions for these essential health professionals