Health workers issue strike notice

Homa Bay

Saturday, January 20, 2024

KNA by Davis Langat

The officials of Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) in Homa Bay county have issued a strike notice.

KMPDU Chairman in Nyanza region Onyango Ndong’a and the union’s Liaison Officer in Homa Bay County Ochieng’ Otana said that their grievances have been ignored by their employer.

The doctors said salary delays, failure to remit their statutory deductions, stagnation were some of their grievances

They also accused their employer of sacking two of their colleagues unprocedurally.

The medics are also protesting against shortage of doctors in the county.

Addressing the media in Homa Bay town Friday, the officials said they will strike until the county government addresses their plight.

“We are starting this strike and it will continue until the county government addresses doctors’ grievances,” Ndong’a said.

He said some of their members had worked for many years without being promoted.

“There are doctors who have worked for many years in the same job group. These are some of the issues we want addressed,” Ndong’a said.

He told patients to seek health services elsewhere during the strike period.

“We gave a strike notice whose deadline has elapsed. That is why we are downing our tools,” he added.

Otana lamented that some of their members had not received their December salaries.

“The salaries of December were paid from January 9 but there are some of us who have not received their salaries to date,” Otana said.

He said they had no option other than downing their tools.

This comes at a time when other health workers including nurses, clinical officers, and laboratory technologists had also issued a notice of downing their tools on Monday.

Courtesy; KNA