Harare– The Ministry of Health and Child Care has formally and finally rejected a request from the Nurse Aid Association of Zimbabwe Trust (NAAZ) for a uniform allowance, stating it lacks jurisdiction to handle the matter and criticizing the union’s “confrontational posture.”

In a letter dated January 5, 2026, addressed to the association’s president, Yotamu Chagwada, Secretary for Health Dr. Aspect Jacob Vengani Maunganidze declared the issue closed. The letter is a response to the association’s December 18, 2025, petition for the allowance.

The Ministry’s dismissal hinges on a procedural argument. Dr. Maunganidze stated that the uniform allowance is a condition of service and therefore falls “within the mandate of the Bipartite Negotiating Platform (BNP),” a collective bargaining forum between government and civil service unions.

“Accordingly, the Ministry is not seized with jurisdiction to entertain the matter outside the established bipartite processes,” the Secretary wrote, effectively redirecting the association’s grievance back to the negotiating table.

The correspondence took a sharp tone, reprimanding the nurses’ body for its approach. “The Ministry further places it on record that the tenor and confrontational posture adopted in the said correspondence are inappropriate, unjustified and unwarranted in the circumstances,” the letter states.

The rejection and the Ministry’s characterization of the union’s communication signal a hardening stance against the association’s demands. It places the onus squarely on the BNP, where broader civil service salary and allowance negotiations are often protracted.

The Nurse Aid Association of Zimbabwe Trust, representing a critical cadre of healthcare workers, had argued for the specific allowance to cover the costs of work uniforms. The Ministry’s final position suggests no direct intervention or discretionary payment will be made

Nurse Aid Association president, Chagwada however said its unfortunate that the Ministry took their communication as confrontational yet the organisation is merely communicating their constituency challenges.

” We will continue engaging government despite the challenges. We are simply firm in our requests hoping that our issues are addressed,” said Chagwada.