Kenya’s Healthcare Crisis: Nurses Union Threatens to Join Doctors’ Strike Amid CBA Dispute
Kenya’s healthcare system could face significant disruption if the nurses’ union carries out its threat.
The Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) has given the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) one week to put into effect the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) from 2017.
KNUN Secretary-General Seth Panyako warned that if the CBA isn’t enacted, the union will strike alongside the doctors.
The union pointed to the government’s delayed implementation as the reason for its decision to take strict measures.
Panyako also criticized the government for altering its approach to staff dealings without informing nurse leaders, a practice they condemn.
As a result, the leaders expressed frustration at having to communicate salary changes to their members without prior consultation with the government.
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KNUN mentioned that different government bodies were conflicting with each other, causing disruptions in the healthcare sector.
Panyako said, “We don’t trust the government. It needs to work as a unified entity. Just as the human body functions cohesively, the government should do the same, but it’s failing us.”
The deadline arrives as doctors haven’t signed an agreement to end their two-month strike and return to work.
The deadlock between the government and the doctors continued on Friday, as no agreement was reached on intern compensation.
Though the government didn’t specify the outstanding issues, it did mention the doctors’ new demands were stalling negotiations.
Additionally, the doctors dismissed reports of a settled agreement, stating that the news was false.
Kenya’s Healthcare Crisis: Nurses Union Threatens to Join Doctors’ Strike Amid CBA Dispute