KNH health workers to 'change tack' after court suspends strike

 

KNH health workers have heeded to a court order suspending their strike on Wednesday.

This comes as KMPDU secretary general Chibanzi Mwachonda called off the strike on Wednesday as per court order.

Mwachonda has however said that the strike will resume if their grievances are not addresseed.

"The struggle continues, it's just that we are changing tack," Mwachonda said.

"We have agreed in one accord that we are going to look for the best lawyers in Kenya. This is an agreement of 2012 so what we want are the arrears of 2012," KNUN SG Seth Panyako said.

"Give us until the end of October. We will get our Sh601 million," Kudheiha SG Albert Njeru said.

Mwachonda reassured the health workers that as union officials they will ensure that the money will be paid.

The Salaries and Remuneration Commission had earlier said that it should not be blamed for the strike.

In a statement on Wednesday, the commission said that it undertook a job evaluation and determined the relative worth of jobs at KNH in 2017.

According to the commission, the industrial action at KNH was as a result of demands for pay increase outside the commission’s advice.

The commission said that members of staff at KNH have already benefited from salary increases for the remuneration review cycle 2017/18 to 2020/21.

“The Commission advised KNH on the resultant job evaluation-based salary structure, which KNH has been implementing since 2017, with the last phase implemented with effect from 1 July 2020,” SRC said.

SRC has however said that it will re-evaluate jobs at KNH in order to address any emerging issues, and upon completion of this exercise, the commission will issue its advisory.

The remuneration body said that KNH management has been in discussion with the relevant trade unions for additional pay, over and above what has been advised by the commission.

“The Commission advised KNH to retain the job evaluation salary structure on the basis that institutional re-categorisation is not a basis for change in the relative worth of jobs if the jobs have not significantly changed.”

The KNH management has insisted that only the SRC can unlock the stalemate.