Court orders striking doctors to resume duties

A Zimbabwe court has ordered doctors on a 40-day strike over pay to return to work within 48 hours, after a ruling that their boycott was illegal. Friday's Labour Court ruling orders members of the Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association (ZHDA) to return to work today. The Daily Dispatch reports that the Health Service Board, which employs the doctors, had asked the court to force them to get back to work, arguing that they were not allowed to strike because they provided an essential service. The court said the board is entitled to take disciplinary action against doctors who fail to comply with the order, adding that the two sides should seek arbitration within 14 days. However, ZHDA spokesperson Masimba Ndoro said the doctors cannot return to work 'until the issues on the table are addressed'.