We will teach Govt a lesson over NHIF rates, say unions

Striking public servants on Wednesday vowed to "teach the government a lesson" as their national strike to protest against the new NHIF rates gained momentum.

Through their umbrella Trade Union Congress (TUC), they directed their members to ensure total paralysis of government operations to ensure that the strike is successful.

Unions representing the public workers are mobilising their members to fully take part in the strike as they push for the withdrawal of the new rates and a refund of what has already been deducted from their members’ pay slips since April this year.

TUC claims its efforts to resolve the dispute amicably have not borne fruit and the government has been taking the unions in circles.

TUC Chairman Tom Odege, General-Secretary Wilson Sossion and Deputy General-Secretary Charles Mukhwaya declared that they would only return to the negotiating table if their demands are met.

OMAMO OPTIMISTIC

This is in spite of a plea from the acting Labour, Social Security and Services Cabinet Secretary Ms Raychelle Omamo to the disgruntled parties to remain open to dialogue.

She said on Tuesday night that she was still optimistic the parties would find room for further negotiations.

“My view is that we must continue to talk and try to find consensus,” she had stated but the unions would hear none of this.

Mr Sossion claimed government representatives on the negotiating table had resorted ‘to playing games’ on them.

“We are not aware of any further consultations, save for individuals in government sending signals that they want to play games on us. This is an injury on top of another injury,” he said.

On the first day of the two day talks with the government representatives from the Ministries of Health, Labour, Education and the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) on Monday, the protesting unions put a memorandum on the negotiating table in which they accused NHIF of making a unilateral decision and termed the deductions irregular.

They demanded stop of any further deductions and a refund of what has already been collected from members until the contentious issues are resolved.

STRIKE LEGITIMATE

Mr Sossion said the strike is legitimate as no one had challenged it anywhere since the unions issued a 7 day statutory notice on June 19.

“When we gave the notice under the Labour Relations Act, we were doing it as an absolute last resort. We have been very patient and we have been treated with a lot of contempt by the government with its officials displaying their cosmetic approach,” he stated.

The TUC Secretary General who holds the same position in the giant Kenya National Union of Teachers Union (Knut) said the unions had been willing to support the increase of the NHIF rates but not to the magnitude of what was effected, which they termed as astronomical.

They further claimed the rates were implemented without conclusive consultations with parties concerned. “We were committed to review the rates upwards but not what was implemented,” he said.

The unions had suggested a 1.5 per cent increase which would result in an annual portfolio of Sh 15 billion, almost a double amount from the previous collections of Sh320 per person which amounted to about Sh8 billion annually.

But now, they say, they have even withdrawn their 1.5 per cent proposal and are now demanding that the rates be reinstated to the previous Sh320 deductions until NHIF is properly restructured and made independent.

They argued that as it is, NHIF lacks the capacity to handle huge amounts of money meant for healthcare and there is a lot of government interference.

“Until we are convinced that the government is responsible enough to handle such huge amounts of money and NHIF is made independent, we are not ready to subject our workers to any such oppression,” said the TUC secretary-general.

TEACH GOVERNMENT A LESSON

Mr Odege, also the Union of Civil Servants Secretary General said the unions were mobilising their members to ensure total paralysis of government functions ‘to teach the government a lesson.’

TUC comprising of teachers, dock workers, university staff and civil servants unions sent a stern warning to its members that failure to cooperate in the strike would mean a win for the government.

“Come out otherwise you will have yourselves to blame,” said Dr Mukhwaya, the TUC deputy secretary-general who also represents the university staff.

Dock workers were the first to comply with the strike order with reports indicating that many were on a go slow in their various stations.

ISSUES IN DISPUTE:

• Unilateral decision by NHIF to levy new rates under Legal Gazette Notice No. 14 of the Kenya Gazette Supplement No. 12 of February 6, 2015.
• Ongoing levying of irregular NHIF rates despite strong objection from unions
• Stop further deduction and refund all irregularly levied monies until contentious issues are resolved

DEMANDS:

• Revoke the gazette notice and quash the irregular levies
• Wide consultations before anything is done
• Refund workers all irregularly deducted monies
• Peg the levy at a percentage of one’s basic pay
• Initiate amendment of the NHIF Act for equitable representation, exemption of contributors that belong to other or superior medical schemes and government employers’ contribution.