Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung’aro has initiated talks with the doctors’ union in an effort to avert a looming countrywide strike.
Mung’aro who spoke on Monday at his Dabaso home assured that he is doing everything within his power to ensure that doctors within the county do not join the strike that is likely to start on January 6.
“Two weeks ago I held talks with doctors to see what is it that if implemented will make them not participate in the strike,” Mung’aro said.
“We want to talk to them as a county about issues to do with the CBA and in the next two or three weeks several doctors will be given promotions so these are some of the issues we are trying to solve,” he said.
This comes even as the doctors threatened to withdraw their services if the demands of their 2017-2021 CBA remain unmet.
The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists’ Union has decried stalled implementation of the agreement by the ministry of health, the county governments and parastatals in the health sector.
Some of their grievances include salary adjustments, creation of call rooms, posting of medical interns, employment of jobless graduates, provision of working tools and constant consultations that would create industrial harmony.
“We are going to embark on an intense month period of engagements with all stakeholders as a reminder that the CBA is alive while negotiating a new cycle of CBA 2021-2025,” KMPDU SG Dr Davji Atellah said.
Already, multi-sectoral meetings have been scheduled for this week by the ministry of labour with another meeting expected to take place with the Council of Governors on January 4 to unlock the impasse.
Health CS Susan Wafula last week met the Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists’ Union officials led by the SG Dr Davji Atellah to discuss key issues as per the strike notice with the view of getting a solution.
