Doctors set to petition House over CBA 2013

Doctors will today present a petition to Parliament on their demands as contained in the unregistered 2013 Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The petition, which they expect to be received by “the Clerk/Speaker of the National Assembly”, will be part of a flurry of activities planned by the union.

At the time of going to press, however, Nation could not get more details on the petition as union members “were finalising on it”.

This will come moments after they join seven leaders of the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentist Union at the Labour and Employment Relations Court where they are expected to update the judge on how far they have gone with the negotiations, even as they face a possible jail term.

This follows a reprieve on Thursday last week by Lady Justice Hellen Wasilwa, who suspended their looming jail sentence for five days to allow them participate in talks aimed at ironing out the stalemate that has lasted for close to two months.

“We shall proceed for a demonstration from the courts, down Ngong Road, Cathedral Road (we do our ritual at Afya House) then Haile Selassie Avenue up to Parliament Buildings,” said a statement signed by KMPDU chapter secretary Thuranira Kaugiria.

The doctors also plan to hold night vigils in the various prisons where their union leaders will be held, that is if they will be jailed today after their five days of negotiations with the government and to call off the strike lapses.