Maputo — The United Association of Mozambican Health Workers (APSUSM) has once again threatened strike action in pursuit of wage demands.

Cited by the Portuguese news agency Lusa, APSUSM chairperson Anselmo Muchave on Wednesday attacked the government's decision to pay its employees only 40 per cent of the traditional end-of-year bonus.

The bonus is payment of an extra month of the basic wage, and so it is commonly known as "the thirteenth month'.

The government has announced that it cannot afford to pay the bonus in full, but will pay 40 per cent in two instalments, one in January and one in February. Last year, the government paid 50 per cent of the bonus to workers in the public administration.

Muchave claimed that APSUSM members will go on strike for 30 days, as from Friday. He said that the announcement that only 40 per cent of the bonus will be paid "did not please health professionals'. He regarded payment of the bonus as a right, although it is not covered under the work contracts signed by staff in the public service.

Muchave said the strike will also denounce what he called a "structural crisis' in the health service, characterised by shortages of essential medicines and of food for patients in the health units.

APSUSM claims to represent 65,000 health workers, but nowhere near that number have responded to its earlier calls for strike action. The Health Ministry has not yet responded publicly to APSUSM's demands.