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Public service sector trade unions have announced their solidarity with doctors and clinicians who have been protesting for past few weeks. Dr. Charles Mukhwaya of the Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) emphasised that the violation of doctors’ CBA sets a dangerous precedent for all professions.
The unions, including the Union of Kenya Civil Servants (UKCS), University Academic Staff Union (UASU), Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU), Kenya National Union Of Teachers (KNUT), Kenya Union of Post Primary Teachers (KUPPET), Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO), Dock Workers Union (DWU), and the Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN), have declared weekly demonstrations.
They further raised questions about the government’s prioritization of politicians’ salaries over professionals like doctors. The discrepancy between what politicians are paid and what doctors are offered is a point of contention among the unions.
Additionally, the unions have condemned the proposal by Public Service Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria to convert public service workers from permanent to contractual employment terms, arguing that it contravenes labor laws and international treaties.
The issue of contractual terms is compounded by the dissatisfaction over the failure of the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) to approve the Ministry of Health’s agreement to increase clinical officers’ risk allowances.
Despite the challenges, the medical professionals remain resolute in their stance, vowing to continue the strike until the government honors the 2017 CBA. The unions see solidarity as their strongest tool in this struggle, asserting that they will not back down until their demands are met.
