Striking nurses dare governors to hire replacements

Nurses dismiss threats by the Council of Governors to direct counties to hire new nurse.  [Juliet Omelo, Standard]

The nurses’ union has dismissed threats by the Council of Governors (CoG) to direct counties to hire new nurses to bridge the service gap caused by the ongoing strike.

Through their umbrella union, the Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives (KNUNM), the nurses challenged the CoG to address their grievances instead of resorting to intimidation and threats.

With the wrangling between the two sides continuing, the union has maintained that  nurses will stay away from hospitals until their demands are addressed.

KNUNM Secretary-General Seth Panyako said the CoG was free to fire and hire nurses as it wished, but maintained that striking nurses would only return to work once their grievances were resolved.

The nurses are protesting unresolved Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs), delayed promotions and staffing shortages.

The union has vowed to continue with the  strike until the CBA is signed and a formal return-to-work agreement is reached.

In an interview with The Standard over the weekend, Panyako said it was worrying that nurses had been operating without a signed CBA since 2013, despite years of negotiations with the CoG and the Salaries and Remuneration Commission.

“CoG should know that we have been around for a long time. From 2013, we have been running without a CBA,” said Panyako.

He said it was unfair that the welfare of nurses, who are key to the provision of healthcare, continued to be ignored.

“We have been pushing for a CBA, and in 2017, there was an agreement between doctors and CoG, which was honoured.

‘‘We have an agreement with CoG and clinical officers, which has now been honoured.

‘‘But when it comes to nurses, they do not want to honour anything that they promised nurses and had an agreement on,” said Panyako.