Kisumu health workers will issue another strike notice on August 2 if the county government fails to honour a court order to promote them.
On Wednesday, Employment and Labour Relations Court judge Nduma Nderi suspended the strike notice and ordered the workers to resume duty immediately or latest on Friday.
However, Justice Nderi did not declare the strike illegal.
“The county is ordered to effect salary increments for the 260 employees whose letters of promotion indicate ready for a raise effective July 1, 2019, in lumpsum together with their January 2020 salary.”
The order also applied to 616 other employees whose letters are to be delivered by February 28 for increment by March 31.
The strike had lasted three weeks.
The devolved unit had, through the County Public Service Board, sued the Kenya National Union of Clinical Officers, Kenya National Union of Nurses, Kenya National Medical Laboratory Officers and the Union of Kenya Civil Servants.
The workers are at liberty to resume industrial action if the county fails to comply with the court order.
Knun Kisumu secretary Maurice Opetu said the order was arrived at after a public outcry over the health crisis.
Opetu said even though they do not agree with the court’s decision, they will respect it and go back to work. However, they are happy the judge rejected the application by the county to declare the strike illegal.
The unionist said the judge only helped the county postpone their problems.
The county government was further ordered to pay all salary arrears on or before July 30 in the consent order entered into by the parties on January 30.
“The court has given us a go-ahead to resume our strike on July 30 which is the only language the county hears and obeys,” Opetu said.
Kuco Kisumu secretary Craus Okumu warned the county government against intimidation of workers, saying they will not take lightly any ‘ping pong games’.
Edited by R.Wamochie
