Ebola outbreak: Liberian medical staff threaten strike over hazard pay

A strike could deliver a serious blow to the fight against Ebola in Liberia, where more deaths have been recorded than in any other country

Monday 13 October 2014 10:54 EDT

A Liberian burial squad carry the body of an Ebola victim in Marshall, Margini county, Liberia

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Liberian officials are pleading with nurses and medical assistants to show up to work on Monday amid a dispute over hazard pay that has prompted calls for a strike in the middle of the Ebola epidemic.

A strike could deliver a serious blow to the fight against Ebola in Liberia, where the World Health Organisation has recorded more than 2,300 confirmed, suspected and probable deaths from the disease – more than in any other country.

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf toured Ebola treatment units around Monrovia on Saturday asking health workers to remain in their posts, assistant health minister Tolbert Nyenswah said.

Health workers are demanding $700 (£435) in monthly hazard pay on top of salaries that are generally around $200 or $300 a month. Monthly hazard pay is currently less than $500.

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Ebola outbreak: Liberian medical staff threaten strike over hazard pay

A strike could deliver a serious blow to the fight against Ebola in Liberia, where more deaths have been recorded than in any other country

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