Nurses have refused to end their nationwide strike despite fresh talks with county governments, saying they will only resume duty after their key employment demands are put into effect.
The Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives (KNUNM) said it remained willing to negotiate with the government and the Council of Governors (CoG), but maintained that the industrial action that started on July 29 would continue until the pending matters are settled.
The strike has now entered its fifth week, affecting public health services in counties across the country as patients continue to experience delays and reduced access to treatment.
KNUNM Secretary General Seth Panyako said the union had no problem with dialogue but wanted agreements reached with the government to be followed by action.
His position followed consultations with Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir, the chairperson of the CoG Health Committee, as the union sought to engage county leaders directly on the issues behind the strike.
“We have met Governor Nassir to deliberate and explore solutions to resolving the ongoing nationwide nurses’ strike,” Panyako said.
Panyako said the disagreement was focused on the working conditions and welfare of nurses and midwives and was not meant to target patients who rely on public hospitals and other health facilities.
“We are committed to multi-level diplomacy and we aggressively continue to pursue structured engagements at both the county and national levels to address labour grievances and restore normalcy in our health facilities,” he said.
The union has placed several demands before the government and county governments, including the implementation of the 2017 return-to-work agreement.
It is also seeking the conclusion and implementation of the nurses’ Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), the adoption of career progression guidelines and the employment of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) workers on permanent and pensionable terms.
KNUNM further wants pending agreements made at county level implemented and other employment-related complaints addressed.
There have been signs of movement in the negotiations, with Panyako saying discussions with the CoG Health Committee had recorded progress on the career progression guidelines and the position of UHC workers.
On career growth, the two sides have tentatively agreed to create a committee that will examine the existing guidelines and work on a framework for their implementation.
“The career guideline, we tentatively and informally agreed that it shouldn’t be an issue. The union should forward names of people to sit on the committee to look into the revision of the career guidelines,” Panyako said.
The union has also taken note of government efforts to deal with the concerns of UHC workers, but wants their employment status formally confirmed through permanent and pensionable terms.
According to Panyako, a directive has been given to deal with human resource and payroll problems affecting UHC staff.
“The President, when he promises like that, in Kenya, we expect the words of the President to be honoured and implemented,” he said.
Despite the progress on some of the demands, the CBA remains the main issue holding back a possible return to work.
Panyako said nurses needed to see the agreement completed and submitted to the Salaries and Remuneration Commission for a letter of no objection before they could resume their duties.
“The other issue which is now not settled is the CBA. We plan on meeting over the week and we hope that they will be serious and we hope we will get a letter of no objection so that our members can go back to work,” he said.
Maurice Odhiambo, another KNUNM official, also said the nurses would remain on strike until the main issues affecting their employment were resolved.
He listed the CBA, permanent and pensionable employment letters for UHC workers and implementation of the career progression guidelines among the matters that must be dealt with before nurses return to health facilities.
“The nurses will not go back to work until we have the CBA, until we have the UHC staff getting their letters of PNP and paid gratuity, until our career progression guidelines are implemented,” Odhiambo said.