Relief for Nyong'o as court suspends health workers strike

Kisumu Governor Anyang' Nyong'o. [File, Standard]

Governor Anyang Nyong’o’s administration can now breathe easy after an industrial court halted plans by health officials to go back on strike.

The workers drawn from different groups, including clinicians, had threatened to down their tools on grounds that their past demands were yet to be met.

Salary reviews

Justice Nduma Nderi’s ruling gives Prof Nyong’o more time to fix the health sector, which was paralysed for the better part of last year, following back-to-back strikes.

However, should the county government fail to implement some of the directives it is required to, the court ruled, the workers are free to continue with their industrial action.

Yesterday, the court heard that the health workers had issued a strike notice on January 13 to all its members. The strike had been scheduled for next week.

Some of the issues pitting the medics against Nyong’o’s administration, according to court documents, include promotions and salary reviews.

Disgruntled by threats from the health workers, Nyong’o’s administration had moved to court and sought several orders, including one barring the parties from engaging in the strike.

In his ruling, Justice Nderi further directed the county government to issue the workers with 260 promotional letters within three days.

“The strike notice issued by the health workers stand suspended on terms and conditions,” read his ruling in part.

The court expects Nyongo’s administration to comply with the court orders by also preparing an additional 616 letters of promotion for the health workers before February 28.

“In default of compliance by the claimant as agreed, the respondents are free to resume industrial action,” said Nderi.

The ruling is a major boost for residents who have also been compelled to seek health services in private facilities after county health practitioners went on strike.

In December last year, facilities across the county remained shut after doctors downed their tools.

Attempts by Nyong’o to whip them back to work by threatening to withhold their December salaries backfired after the medics vowed to continue with the boycott that paralysed public health services across the county.

Boycott work

The doctors’ strike that started last week came hot on the heels of a one-month strike by nurses and another one by clinical officers.

The nurses have returned to work, but the doctors and clinical officers continue to boycott work over failure by the county government to implement a 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

From back-to-back strikes to a lack of essential drugs and facilities built with millions of shillings of taxpayer cash lying idle, Kisumu’s healthcare is wanting.

A biting blood shortage in public hospitals has worsened the situation.