Thousands of Zimbabwean nurses who had been on strike returned to work on Monday.
Their union stated that fresh negotiations were expected in their stand-off with the government.
Around 15,000 nurses contesting for better working conditions and pay walked out of public hospitals a week ago.
The government responded quickly sacking them, as it tried to prevent the spread of industrial action in the public sector.
“Nurses have gone back to work today although their grievances still stand,” Enoch Dongo, spokesman for the Zimbabwe Nurses Association, told AFP.
“Some were asked to first fill in dismissal forms and then sign forms for resumption of duty. We haven’t heard of any who have been turned back.”
Constantino Chiwenga, the Vice President who issued the mass sackings claimed the nurses were “politically motivated.”
At Parirenyatwa, the largest state hospital in the capital, nurses came back to find long queues from a backlog of patients.
The nurses have complained about a lack of drugs and equipment in the hospitals and about their low salaries.
Shortly before the strike a similar protest was staged by junior doctors demanding a raise in allowances, while teachers are also threatening to strike.
After Robert Mugabe’s 37-year rule, President Emmerson Mnangagwa has vowed to revive the moribund economy and attract foreign investment to fund better public services.
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