No pay increment for the nurses despite strike and talks

After three weeks of industrial action by nurses and a month long conciliation talk, the medical caregivers will not receive any pay increase as agreed in the 2017 return-to-work-formula.

This is after the Ministry of Health and the Council of Governors maintained that they have no money to increase the nurses pay despite the early agreement.

While the striking nurses’ took it to the streets, the Council of Governors (CoG) ran to the court and the president’s office to stop the boycott that paralyzed the healthcare services across the country.

The Labour and Employment Court suspended the job action for 60 days to pave way for conciliation talks between the CoG, Ministry of Health and Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) officials.

The mediating meeting initiated by Labour Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yattani who selected a board whose members represented the MoH, CoG, Knun, Public Service Board and Labour Ministry yield no desirable results for the nurses.

According to a report by Nation MoH, CoG and the nurses’ leaders failed to reach an amicable agreement with horde of dishonesty rocking the conciliation boat.

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“Unfortunately, I have to inform you that we did not reach a common ground. I know there was a lot of expectations from the nurses that they might get the salary increment they were demanding for,” said KNUN national treasurer Ms Agnes Munderu.

The nurses were demanding for  increment in service and uniform allowances at Sh10,000 and sh15,000 respectively. While some counties had already included the increase in the medical workers payslips, they were ordered by the CoG to recover the funds after Salary and Remuneration Commission (SRC) said it had not approved the remittance.

“The Ministry of Health and the Council of Governors have indicated that they have no budgetary provision and funds to cater for payment of the allowances. Besides being unaffordable and unsustainable, the allowances if paid, will occasion a ripple effect in the Health sector,” stated SRC.