Clinical officers call off strike after new pay deal

Various stakeholders during the signing of return to work formula between clinical officers and governors in Nairobi on October 5, 2017. PHOTO | ELIZABETH MERAB | NAITION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • For nearly 20 days, the officers downed their tools protesting salaries and remuneration commission’s job evaluation cadres.
  • Health Cabinet Secretary also called on the striking nurses to follow in the footsteps of their colleague and go back to the negotiating table to iron out the differences they have with their employer.

Clinical officers have called off their strike after signing a return-to-work formula with governors and the Health ministry.

This comes after they spent close to 20 days protesting against the job evaluation and grading by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC).

Speaking at Afya House in Nairobi on Thursday, Kenya Union of Clinical Officers secretary-general George Gibore gave members until Monday to resume duty.

“We are not going back to work because we are happy but because this is the beginning of having our issues addressed,” said Mr Gibore.

“We are still not happy with the SRC’s grading and we ask you, our employer, to look into the matter,” added Mr Gibore.

SIGNED AGREEMENT

He said the agreement signed on Thursday was mainly aimed at protecting the union members from being victimised when they resume work.

The issues expected to be resolved within 60 days include the signing of a recognition agreement, as well as promotion and re-designation of all clinical officers into job groups approved in their revised scheme of service.

“We noticed that some counties are not promoting their workers and we wanted this matter to be addressed before we called off the strike,” said the secretary-general.

By calling off the job boycott, the public will now have access to services at the affordable public health institutions. However, the clinical officers will only offer out-patient services as they wait for nurses, who are largely responsible for in-patient services, to call off their industrial action.

CLEOPA MAILU

Health Cabinet Secretary Cleopa Mailu called on the striking nurses to follow in the footsteps of their colleagues and go back to the negotiating table to iron out the differences they have with their employer.

“We call upon the nursing union leaders to act like their colleagues because we have resolved through dialogue an issue the clinical officers raised,” said Dr Mailu.

However, the situation seems to be worsening, with nursing students at 140 training institutions in the country joining the strike.

“The training of nurses has been compromised following the stalemate. Interns are not undertaking the mandatory requirements of practical work in the four months wasted. The government should incur the extra cost,” said Nursing Students Association chairman Amos Wekesa .

The students want the government to fast-track efforts to find a solution to the current stalemate.