KMPDU, Gov’t in meeting over return-to-work formula as clinical officers take to streets

A day after the court gave the government and the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) two days to come up with an agreeable return-to-work formula, the two parties are now holed up in a meeting to beat Wednesday’s 2:30 pm deadline.

KMPDU, on the 55th day of a strike, presented a separate document from what the government presented before the Employment and Labour Relations Court, prompting the judge to issue an order to have the two parties deposit a signed return-to-work formula by Wednesday, failure to which the court will determine the matter. 

KMPDU and the government through the Council of Governors (CoG) and the Ministry of Health are in a meeting to try and come up with the formula as directed by the court.

“We have a return-to-work formula that we think befits calling off the strike and the government has one that they feel befits calling off the strike...so we want to go sit down and analyse these documents and come up with a common return-to-work formula,” KMPDU Secretary General Dr. Davji Atellah said.

The two meetings are the latest attempt to solve the problem after several other similar engagements ended in a stalemate.

This even as the Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO) was on the streets on day 37 of their strike on Tuesday.

The clinical officers are demanding the implementation of their 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

For the last 37 days, KUCO members who work in government health facilities across the country have been away from work citing discrimination by their employer.

“We are here to stand with our brothers and sisters under UHC who are paid below what they offer,” said KUCO Chair Peterson Wachira.

The union’s Secretary General George Gibore added: “The devolution is a confusion to health management and it is the reason why we continue to have strikes that have no answer, the national government saying health is devolved while county governments say they do not have money...so who has money to solve healthcare? Can we say that we don’t have a government that can implement Article 43 of the Constitution? Is it time then that Kenyans call for the dissolution of this government?”

The clinical officers are demanding a better working environment and the implementation of the 2017 CBA that increased their risk allowance from Ksh.3,000 to Ksh.15,000.

They accuse the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) of delays in the implementation of the increment.

“We are also here to ensure that our members have a comprehensive cover...we have our colleagues who cannot afford the care they offer,” Wachira said.

“Tunataka serikali iajiri maafisa tabibu kwa kandarasi za permanent and pensionable kama wale wengine, ya pili tunataka career progression yetu ipitishwe,” Gibore noted.

The clinical officers accuse county governments of intimidation and threats, adding that they will continue with their strike until all their demands as stated in the strike notice are addressed.

“The county governments of Kisumu, Kisii, Embu, Kiambu Vihiga and any other that is willing to join like Machakos that have stopped salaries of clinical officers and continue offering show course letters to intimidate our workers, the clinical officers are not going anywhere...use that energy to address our issues,” Gibore stated.