Court orders county to pay nurses
Kapsabet County Referral Hospital in Nandi County remains closed after nurses went on strike on April 14, 2016. While issuing an order on May 5, 2016, a court in Nakuru told the county government not to victimise those who took part in the strike. PHOTO | DENNIS LUBANGA | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- While issuing the order on Wednesday, the court in Nakuru told the county government not to victimise those who took part in the strike.
- The nurses went on strike on April 3, asking for promotions and pay arrears.
The Industrial Court has directed the devolved government to release the April pay for 850 nurses to end a two-month strike that has paralysed services in 196 hospitals.
While issuing the order on Wednesday, the court in Nakuru told the county government not to victimise those who took part in the strike.
It also restrained the devolved unit from redeploying nurses to the ministry of Health.
The court stopped top county officials from evicting the nurses from staff houses, pending the mention of the case on May 24.
Kenya National Union of Nurses and devolved government officials were directed appear before the labour office and reach an agreement within 21 days.
The nurses, through their union, went to court when the county government withheld their salaries.
The court directive comes in the wake of reports that three people died as a result of the strike. The nurses went on strike on April 3, asking for promotions and pay arrears.
The county government moved to court on April 6 demanding the workers call off their strike, pending the ruling of another case on April 27. The nurses union refused to do so.
The devolved unit said it had paid arrears amounting to Sh10 million and that it required Sh100 million every year to promote the medics.
County Secretary Francis Ominde last month sent files of 91 striking nurses to the ministry of health headquarters for their redeployment.
Governor Cleophas Lagat and County Health chief officer Edward Serem last month maintained that the workers would not receive their April salaries for participating in an illegal strike.
Dr Serem said the recent hiring of 191 nurses had nothing to do with the strike “since the county government had planned to employ more staff because we face shortages.”
Union officials John Bii, Amos Ng’etich and Paul Sang on Thursday said they would obey the order and hold talks with county government “since most of our complaints have been addressed by the court”.
County government officials said they were ready to hold the talks to facilitate provision of health services.
