Moi hospital director averts workers’ strike

By Titus Too

Operations at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret were halted for several hours after workers staged a strike demanding allowances and promotion.

Workers made good a strike notice they issued on August 2 demanding allowances. And confusion reigned as the striking workers differed with some top union officials over the strike. They accused officials of Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals and Allied Workers Union of failing to take a firm stand on the strike.

Workers claimed there was a scheme to discriminate some cadres in favour of nurses and doctors in awarding allowances. The morning strike prompted the hospital director Dr John Kibosia to intervene and cool down tempers of the placard-waving staff.

“No pay, no work, human resource must be moved,” read some of the placards also claiming there was discrimination of junior staff.

“There is no section of staff that is being favoured. There is no group that works without the other,” Dr Kibosia assured the workers.

New agreement

He said the management received a strike notice on August 2, which was followed by a press conference by three unions.

On August 8, the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Dentists and Pharmacists Union (KMPDU) and Kenya National Union of Nurses gave notice of the strike. Kibosia said KUDHEIHA did not issue notice of strike because it was pursuing matters of Collective Bargaining Agreement at the industrial court.

On Monday, Kibosia said an agreement has been reached and it is waiting registration and implementation.

At the same time, the director said casual employees would be offered legal contracts as they are appraised for permanent and pensionable employment. He told workers to prepare their academic certificates in readiness for vetting.