The Kenya Union of Clinical Officers has given the Ministry of Health until the end of Friday to address various issues affecting their members.
In a statement, the union wants the ministry to post all interns as stipulated by law with immediate effect.
The more than 800 interns were supposed to be posted in December 2022 but that is yet to happen despite the ministry committing to do so in a series of meetings held with union officials.
The union also want the employment contracts of UHC staff which were expiring end of May to be renewed by the ministry before the end of Friday.
Further, KUCO wants the health CS and the council of governors to immediately constitute a negotiating committee chaired by the labour CS for the parties to resume their CBA negotiations.
"If the Ministry of Health does not act on the above demands by Friday, June 2, the interns together with the UHC staff will assemble at the ministry on Monday, June 5 to demand their rights," KUCO SG George Gibore said.
"It should be noted that UHC staff have been diligently providing critical health services across the country since they were engaged," he added.
According to KUCO chairperson Peterson Wachira, CBAs have remained unconcluded and hence deny members their right to fair remuneration, reasonable working environment and collective bargaining.
He said subjecting UHC staff to contractual employment agreements will not only kill their growth as a profession but will also be disadvantaging them in terms of cadre competitions with their counterparts already in service.
"This act is not only unfair but discriminatory in nature and goes against the doctrine of fair labour practice as contained in the Constitution," Wachira said.
