Waiguru now sacks striking medics, hires new employees
Striking Kirinyaga health workers demonstrating in Kerugoya town on May 29, 2019. Governor Anne Waiguru on July 8, 2019 sacked all the striking health workers. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Ms Waiguru accused the workers of failing to return to work even after the Labour court declared their strike illegal.
- The workers went on strike last month protesting against poor working conditions.
- The Labour court noted that the Labour Act requires doctors to provide essential services.
Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru has sacked all the striking health workers who have paralysed operations in all county hospitals and dispensaries in the region.
In a statement released on Monday, Ms Waiguru accused the workers of failing to return to work even after the Labour court declared their strike illegal.
The governor told the sacked workers to immediately collect their dismissal letters from their stations.
She stated that her government has replaced the workers with new employees who will be deployed to various hospitals in the county.
"Any officers who did not report to work today stands dismissed and should collect their letters of termination," she said in the statement.
RIGHT TO HEALTHCARE
She told the workers that the public's constitutional rights to access affordable, quality healthcare remains an important priority for her county government and every effort towards delivering this should never be compromised by selfish personal gain or political ambitions of a few people.
The workers went on strike last in May protesting against poor working conditions.
They also accused the county government of failing to promote them and pay doctors pursuing Masters degrees their salary arrears for ten months.
The health workers refused to return to work even after the Labour court last Thursday declared their strike illegal.
They had vowed to challenge the court’s ruling.
In the ruling, Justice Nzioki wa Makau of the Employment and Labour Relations Court noted that the Labour Act requires doctors to provide essential services.
