Striking staff 'will miss salaries'

Chair of the Council of Governors Isaac Ruto (right), Cabinet Secretary for Health James Macharia (2nd right) and Governors from across the Counties during a press conference on the Health Sector strike at the Panafric hotel in Nairobi on December 16, 2013. Governors, led by Mr Isaac Ruto, maintained that a court had declared the strike illegal and health workers had no option but to go back to work unconditionally. PHOT/SALATON NJAU  

In Summary

• Governors, led by their chairman, Mr Isaac Ruto, maintained that a court had declared the strike illegal and health workers had no option but to go back to work unconditionally
• The governors dismissed the demands by the health workers, which they said were not about labour relations
• Out of 26,000 nurses in public service, about 8,000 were not formally employed and could be absorbed to replace those on strike, according to Mr Macharia
• On demand by doctors for a health law to govern the sector, Mr Macharia blamed the health workers union for the delay saying his ministry had forwarded a draft to the union for their

By PATRICK NZIOKA
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Health workers who do not return to work immediately will be not paid their December salaries.

At a meeting between Health Cabinet Secretary James Macharia and governors , the national government on Monday washed its hands and called on the regional leaders to deal with the strikers.

The governors, led by their chairman, Mr Isaac Ruto, maintained that a court had declared the strike illegal and health workers had no option but to go back to work unconditionally.

“Those who will not have reported to work since the issuance of the court order will be treated as having absconded their employment by both the national and the county governments,” said Mr Ruto.

“No more salaries will be paid to persons who have absconded from work”, he added.

The governors dismissed the demands by the health workers, which they said were not about labour relations.

Others, like the demand for a health service commission, were about the Constitution hence required an amendment, they said.

They further dismissed claims by the health workers that their remuneration will be revised downwards. No law allows for that, according to the governors.

On the contrary, the health staff terms and conditions of service were safeguarded under the County Government Act and could only be improved, they argued.

Mr Ruto said county governments had begun replacing those on strike and dismissed claims there was a shortage of doctors.

Out of 26,000 nurses in public service, about 8,000 were not formally employed and could be absorbed to replace those on strike, according to Mr Macharia.

Of 8,000 doctors trained in the country, only about 3,000 were in the public service, he added.

while the others who were either in private service or in diaspora could be asked to re-join the county service, he added.

Another 200 doctors have been rendered jobless at the ministry headquarters following the reorganization that going on to align the ministry with the current constitution.

“I do not think we have such a big shortage. There is no place at the headquarters for those health workers who do not want to work in the counties”, Mr Macharia said.

On demand by doctors for a health law to govern the sector, Mr Macharia blamed the health workers union for the delay saying his ministry had forwarded a draft to the union for their input which they had not acted upon.

He warned the health workers to come to terms with the reality that health services had been devolved and there was provision to reverse that.

Mr Macharia promised the issue of ghost workers devolved to the counties will be completed in the next one month once the audit of public workers which is in progress is finalized.

He promised his Ministry and the Attorney General’s offices were working with the Public Service Commission to come up with a new law that will enhance the current law governing the sector.