Meru health workers to go on strike over delayed salaries

Health workers in Meru have vowed to go on strike from Thursday over delayed salaries and failure by the county government to honour a return-to-work agreement signed in July this year.

Governor Kiraitu Murungi’s administration and unions representing the health workers entered an agreement in July to effect common cadre promotions starting August and end delays in payment of salaries and statutory deductions. But the workers say these are yet to be fulfilled.

Addressing journalists in Meru town on Tuesday, officials from the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU), Kenya National Union of Nurses (Knun), Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (Kuco), Kenya National Union of Pharmaceutical Technologists (KNUPT) and Kenya National Union of Medical Laboratory Officers (Knumlo) said there is no turning back after a seven-day strike notice expires on Thursday.

Knun Meru branch Secretary-General Nesbitt Mugendi said they are also demanding sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE) as more health workers test positive for Covid-19.

“We will not be meeting the county executive again because we have had enough meetings this year. Despite the many boardroom meetings, we are yet to be paid October salaries and statutory deductions remain unremitted for months. We will report back to work when the county government honours the agreement,” Mr Mugendi said.

Workers overstretched

He said due to the biting Covid-19 pandemic, health workers are overstretched as several of them are often quarantined.

“We are working without pay yet our workload is increasing because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The county government must ensure there is sufficient supply of quality PPE for all health workers,” he said.

KMPDU Upper Eastern Chairman Dennis Mugambi said about 30 doctors are yet to be paid their Covid-19 allowances.

In the agreement with the county, health workers who were yet to get common cadre promotions were required to apply for them so as to get salary increments by September.

Extra or non-cadre promotion advertisements were to be done by September 1 and be effected by October 2020 and not later than November 1, 2020.

Union officials said they expected more than 950 workers to be promoted during this financial year.

Meru County Finance Executive Titus Ntuchiu has several times cited delays in disbursement of funds by the National Treasury as the reason for delays in payment of salaries and statutory deductions.