Liberian nurses threaten to strike over low Ebola hazard pay

Liberia's Ebola outbreak could become much more complicated this week, The Associated Press reports.

The country's National Health Workers Association is demanding higher hazard pay from the government, and the group's leaders say that if Liberian officials will not negotiate, nurses and physician assistants will go on strike, beginning Monday.

When the Ebola outbreak began, Liberia and the association agreed to a monthly hazard allowance of $700 per health care worker. But as the virus has overrun the country, Liberian officials said that amount put a "huge financial burden on the state," and subsequently lowered the allowance to $435 per month.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Because Ebola is spread via bodily fluids, those health care workers treating patients are at a higher risk of contracting the virus. And, in Liberia, proper clothing articles and other preventive equipment are not always easy to procure. So far, 95 health workers have died from Ebola in Liberia.