Hospital Cleaners in Africa Undo Work to Protest Lack of Pay

After not receiving wages for six months of work, hospital cleaning staff in Zomba, Malawi, protested by undoing the work they had performed, European Cleaning Journal reported.

The cleaning staff at Zomba Central Hospital dumped garbage in patient rooms and hospital corridors and dirtied the floors to force the hospital to pay them. Instead, hospital officials called the police, who worked as mediators in the dispute.

The cleaning workers say they have not been paid for contract work that ended January 31. Hospital officials say the lack of pay was not intentional and blamed a new wages system for the delay. Hospital managers say they are working tirelessly to resolve the issue.

Protests are not uncommon among hospital staff in Malawi. In April 2020, workers at the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre, Malawi, staged a sit-in to protest their working conditions during the pandemic. They demanded a higher salary for the risks they were facing, along with an adequate supply of personal protective equipment (PPE).