The Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has warned of an imminent National Doctors’ Industrial Action starting next month over pending 2017-2021 Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) Implementation.
KMPDU Secretary General Davji Atellah stated that the 1-month notice letter dated November 28 lapses on December 28 and failure to its address by the government will result to an industrial action beginning January.
“We call for urgent negotiations of 2021-2025 CBA,” argued Atellah.
Among the grievances KMPDU demands to be addressed include total CBA implementation, mass hiring of graduate medics to help curb medical practitioners’ shortage and change of existing doctors, hiring agreement of UHC from contract to permanent and pensionable terms.
The doctors have faulted the ministry of health, the parastatals and the county government of failing to honour the CBA after the 2017 100-days strike.
The union has called on stakeholders specifically the national and county governments to hire jobless doctors across the country and has also called on the Ministry of Health to streamline post-graduate training and posting of medical interns.
Atellah has called on the establishment of Health Service Commission within a period of 100 days as earlier promised by government to serve as mediators between the counties and health workers.
In a move aimed to avert the imminent industrial action by KMPDU, the government, through the Ministry of Labour, implored the union to call off the strike to pave way for conciliation as adduced in a letter dated Wednesday, December 14, signed by J.N Mwanzia on behalf of the Commissioner Kisurulia Kuloba who was appointed as the conciliator in the dispute.
“It has been noted that the intended withdrawal of labour is being contemplated by members who are involved in the provision of service of an essential nature and it is therefore in the public interest for the Cabinet Secretary to urgently intervene to avert the union’s threatened action,” reads the letter.
