Court rules that Meru nurses should return to work
Meru nurses protest in Meru town. The nurses were denied access to health facilities where they work after they resumed following a court order.
Nurses in Meru County should return to work by 6pm on Friday, a Nyeri court has ruled.
Justice Njangi Marete of the Employment and Labour Relations Court asked the nurses to resume work as they allow their union and their county employers to negotiate about differences between them.
“It is unfair that the workers on strike are still receiving their salaries yet the services to the public are at a standoff,” he said.
During the hearing, Justice Marete also ordered the county government, the County Public Service Board and the Kenya National Union of Nurses to engage in negotiations to settle the matter.
The judge ordered the parties to present a report in court within 14 days showing the progress of the negotiation meetings.
The union, through its lawyer, told the court that the respondents delayed in responding to the return-to-work proposal that they had presented to them.
Meeting absence
The union also said the respondents had failed to show up for negotiation meetings they had planned.
“There has been no compliance by the employers in as much as some of the issues addressed in the proposal require urgent measures,” said the union.
Some of the issues that the union raised were that the county had not stated clearly the insurance covers they were allowed to apply for once reinstated to positions.
They said that the county employer had promoted some of the trade workers although other workers’ salaries had not been raised.
On Thursday, Justice Marete had issued orders stopping the recruitment exercise of 496 new nurses positions advertised by the county government
In the order, he stopped any exercise that aimed at firing and replacing the nurses currently on strike pending the determination of the case.
In the case certified as urgent, the judge also restrained the respondents through their workers or servants from victimising the workers.
“The respondents are also not to issue show cause letters, termination letters and transfers to their employees pending the hearing and determination of this matter,” said Justice Marete.
The case will continue on February 19.
