Nurses’ strike driven by huge disparities in salaries and allowances

Doctors and nurses take to the streets of Kitui as the nationwide strike entered its fourth day on December 8, 2016. The Kenya National Union of Nurses Kitui branch secretary, John Kimanzi, vowed to push on with their industrial action that has paralysed medical services in all public hospitals and other health facilities. [Photo:Paul Mutua/Standard]

The ongoing strike by the nurses across the country is largely underpinned by drastic disparities in pay and allowances in this cadre of health workers.

Many nurses are bitter and demoralised as they are working under varying terms of service even though they are doing the same job.

The nurses in counties comprise those from the national government and those absorbed from the former local authorities whose pay and allowances are yet to be harmonised.

Other nurses have been employed directly by Counties under different terms of service, thereby enhancing the disparities among nurses serving in public health facilities even further.

Currently, nurses in counties that were seconded from the national government in the lowest Job Group earn between Sh16, 692 and Sh21, 304 but those from the former local authorities in the lowest job group earn between Sh39,450 and Sh56, 730.

Similarly, nurses seconded from the National Government in the highest Job Group earn between Sh152, 060 and Sh302, 980 but those from the former local authorities earn between Sh78,480 and Sh110, 615. The same picture of disparities is reflected in allowances.

The union has proposed harmonisation of minimum salary of between Sh56,730 (being for certificate nurses)and highest being Sh655,877(being for Director Nursing Services)

Nurses seconded from the National Government earn between Sh15, 000 and 35,000 monthly in extraneous allowance while those from former defunct local authorities get nothing. The CBA seeks to harmonise it to between Sh20, 000 and Sh40, 000 depending on Job Group.

In terms of housing allowances, those from national government earn between Sh6750 and 80,000 monthly while those from the defunct local authorities get between Sh17, 000 and Sh 68,000. The proposed CBA seeks to harmonise the same to between Sh17,000 and Sh80,000

Nurses from the national government also get uniform allowance flat rate of Sh10, 000 per year while those from defunct local authorities get nothing. The nurses new CBA seeks to harmonise it to Sh50, 000 for all Job Groups per year.

Nurses from national government get nothing in terms of non-practising allowance just like their counter parts from the defunct Local authorities who don’t get anything. Nurses have proposed in their CBA between Sh10,000 and Sh40,000.

The nurses in the National Government also get commuter allowance of between Sh4, 000 and Sh20, 000 while their counterparts from defunct local authorities get Sh3,000 flat rate monthly. The nurses new CBA seeks to harmonise it to Sh15, 000 and Sh25, 000.

When nurses travel for officials duties, those from national government get between Sh4, 200 and Sh16, 800 for accommodation and subsistence but those from Local authorities get between Sh4,000 and Sh10, 000. The CBA proposes to harmonise between the allowance to Sh6,000 and Sh18,200.

Secretary general of the Kenya National Union of Nurses, Seth Panyako said the Collective Bargaining Agreement that nurses are pushing the Council of Governors to sign seeks mainly to harmonise the said disparities.

“We have been seeking to negotiate with COG to address the disparities but no progress has been made. That’s why we called for a strike,” he said.

COG has refused to negotiate with KNUN until all counties sign a document recognising the union as the representative of nurses in their jurisdiction.

The nurses through their CBA have proposed that certificate nurses entry point to be job group H moving up to job group M, while diploma nurses entry point to be job group J moving up to job group Q.

Degree holder nurses entry point to be job group L moving up to job group U. Posts not classified as competitive form the common cadre whose advancements are guided by the scheme of service.

Initially the defunct local government employees had no proper grading structures. Their salary scale was between 1 and 10.

Those seconded from the national government were from job group H (Enrolled Nurse 3) to job group Q senior principal registered nurse)