Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja (COG Labour) and his Tharaka Nithi counterpart Muthomi Njuki (COG Health) met with the national leadership of the doctors union on Wednesday, with an aim of averting an industrial strike set for January 2023.
This is after the Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists Dentists Union (KMPDU) warned on December 19, 2022 that the intent of notice would expire on December 28, 2022, after which a strike notice would be issued.
The doctors want the government to fulfil agreements in a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) covering the 2017-2021 period.
"As we start the new year, around the 5th, or 6th of January 2023, all the doctors in the country will be on strike and we don't threaten, we will proceed on strike because we have court judgments that support this," KMPDU Secretary General Davji Atella had said.
But in a statement on his official social media page, Sakaja said a meeting, which was held in his office on Wednesday, December 28, made great progress to resolve the issues raised by the medical practitioners.
"We are making great progress and I'm confident that we shall avert this strike," said Sakaja in the statement.
Some of the issues highlighted by the doctors include; basic salary adjustments, creation of call rooms, posting of medical interns, employment of more doctors and provision of working tools.
On his part, KMPDU secretary general Davji Atella said the two governors had committed to work with the union to ensure demands raised by the union have been met.
"Both parties were tasked with the responsibility of providing specific details and information of various issues to ease the engagement and ensure complete implementation of the CBA 2017-2021 and finalization of CBA 2021-2025," said Davji in a statement to union members on Wednesday.
Additionally, Davji said another meeting would be held before January 5, 2023 to finalize the discussions on the implementation framework.
"The meeting scheduled supersedes any earlier planned meetings," said Davji.
