Kisumu health workers were Thursday dealt a blow after a court temporarily stopped the planned trike that was set to commence on April 7, 2023.
The health workers include nurses, clinical officers, medical laboratory, technologists and pharmaceutical technologists.
This is after the county government went to court to stop the planned exercise.
In the court documents, Kenya National Union of Nurses(KNUN) has been listed as the 1st respondent, Kenya National Union of Medical Laboratory Officers(KNUMLO) as 2nd respondent, and Kenya Union of Clinical Officers(KUCO) 3rd the respondent while the Kenya National Union of Pharmaceutical Technologists(KNUPT) has been listed as the 4th respondents.
The matter came up under a certificate of urgency for direction before Lady Justice Jemimah Keli.
"Temporary injunction is granted and hereby issued restraining the respondents and their members within Kisumu county from proceeding on strike according to a notice dated 31st April pending hearing and determination of the application," read the court order.
The interparty application will be heard on April 13, 2023.
On April 31, the health workers union officials were demanding payment of February and March salaries and remittance of all accrued statutory deductions and other deductibles payable to various institutions before April 7 this year.
They said as representatives of the healthcare workers, they have endeavoured to maintain a cordial working relationship with the county government.
However, they said the county government has continually failed to safeguard and espouse the constitutional rights of their members to fair and timely remuneration.
The union officials said the healthcare workers have endured persistent salary delays, and delayed remittance of statutory deductions such as the National Health Insurance Fund and PAYE.
Others deductions include Helb loans and bank loans, insurance premiums among others.
Currently, healthcare workers, the officials said, have not been paid their February 2023 and March 2023 salaries, subjecting them to a lot of untold suffering.
"With no money to pay rent, buy food, commute to duty station, pay school fees amongst other daily sustenance, such as service providers, Members are in a mental, physical and psychological state to provide services," the statement read.
"Failure to [meet these demands], our members shall down tools on the midnight of 7th April 2023 at exactly 1200 hrs."
They said they hope institutions act swiftly to meet their demands and avoid disruption of services.
