New pay deal ends health workers’ strike

All health workers in public hospitals, except doctors, on Friday shelved plans for a strike that was to commence next week after a pay deal was reached with the government.

Kenya Health Professionals Society (KPHS) said health workers had been awarded allowances in line with their demands after discussions with both the ministries of Medical Services and Public Health and Sanitation.

KPHS represents nurses, clinical officers, lab technicians, pharmacists, physiotherapists, radiographers, occupational therapists, nutritionists and records officers, among others.

“Seventy per cent of our issues have been met so there will be no strike next week,” said National Nurses Association of Kenya chairperson Luke Kodambo.

According to minutes from a meeting chaired by the Medical Services minister, Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o, and KPHS, the basic salary of all the health workers will be upgraded to the next grade.

Committed to fast-track

According to Mr K’Odambo, the government promised to employ 607 health professionals countrywide in the next three months.

The ministries of health committed to fast-track implementation of the proposed new salary in consultation with other relevant government arms effective from July 1, next year.

However, the health professionals will have to wait until the Salaries and Remuneration Commission becomes operational to determine their pay packages.

Employees posted to hardship areas will be allowed to retain the house allowance rate for the former station or whichever is higher.

Extraneous allowances will also be paid to the health workers at absolute figures irrespective of job group at Sh15,000 per month irrespective of job group.

The extraneous allowances had been withdrawn in 2005 in an attempt to consolidate the remuneration for medical personnel.

The nurses’ uniform allowance will continue being paid annually through the payroll.

However, the discussions could not review the current rates for leave allowance to one month’s basic salary due to what the government cited as the huge financial implication.

Health workers will also earn an emergency call allowance irrespective of job group at a minimum of Sh5,000 per month and Sh10,000 per month for working during disasters.

The terms further agreed that interns will also be paid an internship allowance that will be discussed and concluded by March next year.

The professionals wanted interns to be paid between Sh40,000 and Sh50,000 per month, depending on their designation.

Some of the health professionals to be employed under the agreement include nurses, clinical officers, laboratory technicians, oral technologists and physiotherapists.

Others expected to benefit from employment are nutritionists, plaster technicians and radiographers in public health facilities countrywide.

Sources at the meeting said the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) requested to negotiate separately and thus were not part of the meeting.

Meanwhile, 2,300 doctors in public hospitals issued a strike notice, demanding a 300 per cent salary increase and hardship allowances.

The meeting was also attended by Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation permanent secretary Mark Bor, Director of Medical Services Francis Kimani and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital acting chief executive John Kibosia, among others.

In a statement to the newsroom last evening, KPMDU said their strike slated for Monday still stands.

Short-term goals

“KHPS was pursuing different short-term goals from those of the doctors union. If their short-term goals have been met, they are justified to call off their strike whose time table was running differently from the strike called by the doctors,” KPMDU secretary Boniface Chitayi said.

Dr Chitayi said Government has not showed seriousness in addressing doctors’ concerns. 

“The government has arbitrarily stopped salaries of 95 doctors on flimsy grounds and is also engaged in suspect transfers of union branch officials hence creating a hostile environment for negotiations,” he said.

He added: “The doctors union will not settle for temporary quick fixes which will act as recipe for a bigger crisis after a few weeks.”