Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in crisis as nurses strike

Normal services at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) are expected to be affected starting Monday after the Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) Eldoret branch called its members to go on strike.

The strike call comes after the union branch, which has 875 members, claimed it had failed to reach an agreement with the hospital management over the signing of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA).

The union told journalists they had negotiated a CBA in consultation with the hospital administration in 2012, which was to be concluded by September 2014, but the management board had refused to sign the agreement.

Branch secretary Bella Soita said the union had opted for industrial action due to the hospital's unwillingness to sign the CBA that touches on promotion and re-designation of staff, working hours, disciplinary action and remuneration.

"The hospital administration seems to be fond of us going on strike in order for them to address our issues. We want the CBA signed so that our issues are addressed once and for all. We gave them a strike notice on January 12 but they haven't shown any sign of co-operation," said Ms Soita.

Soita accused the hospital of using the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) as an excuse for the delayed signing of the CBA.

"The administration should stop using SRC as a scapegoat because we initially had our input as nurses, which the commission approved. Now we are wondering why the administration is bringing up this excuse again," she said.

Branch chairman Kennedy Orangi said the union was forced to go to court for a certificate of unresolved dispute from the county labour office after the hospital absconded a meeting meant to reconcile the CBA issues.

"We have followed all due processes and are ready to speak a language well understood by the hospital - strike," he said.