Medics see nothing to smile about on Labour Day

President Kenyatta yesterday graced his last Labour Day celebrations as Head of State at the Nyayo National Stadium, but healthcare workers’ union leaders feel more deliberations on their welfare needs to be addressed.

While his speech was dominated by Covid-19 and the effects it had on Kenyan workers, the president said the impact was “not too negative.” However, the medics who helped in slowing down the pandemic feel that his tenure, especially his second term, recorded the highest number of industrial actions and not even the pandemic helped in alleviating their predicament.

At the height of the pandemic, in December 2020, healthcare workers went on strike, which saw Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe reprimand them for being insensitive and asked them to resume their duties or risk losing their jobs. In 2017 when health workers had a 150-day strike that crippled the health sector, the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) was a major bone of contention.

CBA signed

Two studies; one published by the Kemri Wellcome Trust and another by the International Journal for Equity in Health (IJEH) say that a cordial relationship between the national government, county government and health workers unions would bring an end to the incessant industrial actions.

“The frustration of not having the CBA signed and implemented was reportedly compounded by the Salaries and Remunerations Commission [which advises government on public officer’s remuneration and benefits] defining nurses as semi-skilled and thus only eligible for relatively low pay scales, and doctors having had their CBA implemented when they went on strike,” said the IJEH study.

Union leaders who spoke to the Nation yesterday said the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) and counties are a stumbling blocks to a conducive working environment.

Federation of Health Professionals Association of Kenya president Alfred Obengo told the Nation yesterday that frequent strikes by healthcare workers have created an unhealthy relationship between them and the government.

Insensitive statements

“President Uhuru Kenyatta is not to blame entirely but the county governments and the SRC are. There are times that the government could comply with our needs but the SRC could come out with provocative and insensitive statements making health workers feel like lesser citizens yet we are producers of human capital,” said Mr Obengo.

Echoing Mr Obengo’s sentiments on the SRC, Mr Peterson Wachira, chairperson of the Clinical Associations of Kenya and Dr Davji Atellah the chairperson of the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union said the SRC is the biggest hindrance to dialogue in the health sector.

“While the constitution directs them to provide advisory opinions on civil servants pay and set the pay for state officers, it has given itself powers to set salaries for all, including civil servants,” said Mr Wachira.

“We are happy that the CBA was signed but the SRC ensured the negotiations were stopped from happening. Many strikes happen because the SRC goes beyond their mandate,” said Dr Atellah.