Labour Cabinet Secretary Ukur
Yatani on Friday appealed to nurses to respect a court order
and resume work.
He asked the nurses’ union to call off the strike
after they defied President Uhuru Kenyatta and the Council of Governor's call for them to return to work.
Yatani said it should be done in
good faith since the conciliatory meetings are still ongoing.
“The responsibility of sacking the nurses will be left to governors and the ministries involved,” he said.
The CS was addressing journalists on the development of the nurses' strike at the ministry's headquarters.
“The striking nurses are in contempt of the court ruling. They still have a chance to move to the High Court and appeal, but for now they must obey a legitimate court order,” Yatani said.
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He said the ruling demanded that the health workers resume work for 60 days to provide room for nurses and government officials to reach an agreement.
“The order can only be vacated on appeal. If they have decided not to respect court orders then we have nothing to talk about,” Yatani said.
He defended the President
and the Council of Governors who have warned that the nurses
face the sack if they ignore the order.
“It was my expectation that following the court order, the Kenya National Union of Nurses would have called off the strike and give conciliation a chance,” he said.
Two days ago Uhuru told nurses they would lose their
jobs if they do not go back to work today.