By STANDARD TEAM

Health workers countrywide have warned of a strike beginning Thursday next week should the Government fail to honour an allowance increment deal.

They vowed to down their tools if their grievances are not addressed.

Health workers display placards during a meeting in Mombasa yesterday. Similar meetings held countrywide backed an industrial action starting March 1 after the Governmnet reneged on pay deal. [PHOTO: Omondi onyango/STANDARD]

Speaking under their umbrella body, Kenya Health Professional Society (KHPS), the health workers said the allowances the Government has allocated them is contrary to what they had agreed on earlier.

"We are not ready to tolerate empty talk from the Government. It has clearly shown that it is not ready to resolve the issue of health and because of their conduct, we are going to push on with our strike come March 1 should the concerned ministries fail to meet our demands," said the KHPS National Chairman Luke Kodambo.

Speaking in Mombasa while addressing members of the health sector from the region, Kodambo said they were disappointed and felt short-changed, claiming that the Government was trying to create a bridge between them and doctors.

Reduced Allowances

They claimed that whereas doctors had been awarded about Sh40,000 in extraneous allowances, a nurse, who deals with patients all the time, was getting a paltry Sh7,000.

They also asked why the Government reduced their allowances by half.

"We feel deceived, what we agreed on in December is totally different from what was granted to us; we were given a raw deal as opposed to the doctors whose demands were met," he said.

They demanded that the Government pays the allowances as agreed and reverse their decision to slash the allowance that had been awarded.

In Nyeri, Duncan Mathenge, the KHPS area chairman said it was unfortunate that even after signing an agreement, the Government went ahead and declined to honour it in full.

"The Government pledged to pay the first phase of the allowances amounting to Sh15,000 in December 2010 and a similar amount in July last year, but it is astonishing that there were a lot of discrepancies," said Mathenge.

He added: "The allowances were not uniform as agreed and in some cases, nurses got Sh10,000, with others Sh7,500 and Sh3,500."

Nurses Association National Treasurer Jeremiah Maina said the agreement halted a planned strike called by nurses, but the disparities in payments have divided the health fraternity.

"We have already petitioned the Government and if the payments are not effected in this month’s pay, the health workers will not report to work on March 1," said Maina.

In Kakamega, Thaddeus Mayaka, the national chairman of Kenya Progressive Nurses Association (KPNA), said they presented the first circular to the Government last December with all their grievances well outlined.

Mischief

Addressing health workers at Kakamega Provincial General Hospital, Mr Mayaka said they have since sensed mischief on the side of the Government.

In Nakuru, a statement read on their behalf by Gladwel Cheruiyot said the workers’ welfare union resorted to a strike call after the Government failed to take any action within the 100 days agreed on to fast track their payments under the rapid result initiative.

Addressing the media at Rift Valley Provincial General Hospital, the officials said the circular from the Ministry of State for Public Service in December last year failed to include all the allowances but reflected what was agreed in the meeting.

In Eldoret, union chairman Antony Mamati accused the Government of dragging its feet.

He pointed out that some nurses have not gone on leave for the last three years because of understaffing.