Doctors face the sack for failure to end strike
Striking doctors will be required to show cause why starting this Wednesday, failure to which they will receive dismissal letters.
This was declared by the Council of Governors Chairman Peter Munya who after a meeting with the ministry of health officials said disciplinary action will be taken against striking workers.
The decision he said was arrived at after considering that the offer given to the doctors was reasonable enough for them to consider their stand.
“We have made a decision: those who don’t resume work will face disciplinary action from Wednesday this week. They will get show-cause letters by the respective counties,” said Governor Munya.
JOBS TO BE ADVERTISED
The striking doctors on Friday rejected a 40 per cent pay rise offered by President Uhuru Kenyatta and vowed not to call off the strike.
He added that for those who will fail to report to work this week their jobs will be advertised.
“Some of these doctors who are working have been intimidated by their striking colleagues. Centralized posting of doctors from the national government has been stopped, all counties will advertise for positions and trainee doctors will apply directly,” said Governor Munya.
He added that the 700 students who have graduated and were to be posted by national government will now have to wait for the counties to advertise for openings and to apply personally.
SALARY INCREMENT
But in a swift rejoinder the doctors’ union decried the directive.
Dear Kenyans,
Its unfortunate that the county governments solution to ending this 36 days strike is by firing doctors. Highly regretable— kmpdu (@kmpdu) January 9, 2017
Health cabinet secretary Cleopha Mailu said, “We came to deliberate on the doctors strike, the bone of contention is the June 2013 CBA which has since been termed defective on October 6, 2016.”
The CS added that counties ought to be involved as they employ most doctors, “No CBA can see the light of day without recognizing the role of counties who employ nearly 80% of the Kenyan doctors.”
The government said its 2013 CBA with doctors cannot be implemented as it did not have the “input and blessings” of the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC).
The doctors’ strike is now on its 40th day as the medics push for the implementation of the 2013 CBA that had among other benefits, a salary increment of of between 79 and 200 per cent.
