Health workers issue one month strike notice over delayed salaries

Homa Bay County health workers’ union leaders address journalists in Homa Bay town at the weekend. [James Omoro, Standard]

Health workers in Homa Bay have issued a one-month strike notice if the county government fails to address their grievances.

Among the issues they want addressed include failure to remit statutory deductions, delayed salaries and promotions.

In a statement read by county Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) Treasurer Juma Magara on behalf of other medical staff unions in Homa Bay town, local trade unionists accused the county government of deducting workers statutory deductions and failing to remit them.

The health workers also said their employer had violated an earlier agreement of paying their salaries by the fifth day of every month.

They said their December salary was paid from January 17, instead of the agreed date.

The Kenya National Union of Medical Laboratory Technologists official Joseph Adendo and KNUN trustee Lilian Ogutu expressed concerns that delaying salaries was embarrassing health workers.

Ms Ogutu said many health workers had had their house locked by landlords due to inability to pay rent in time.

The unionists said a number of health workers had served for more than 10 years without being promoted.

They argued that labour laws require that health workers should be promoted after every three years.

The workers also accused the county government of violating a court order that legalised a recent strike by clinical officers.

Clinical workers accused the county government of withholding their November salaries for engaging in industrial action.

Efforts to get a comment from Health Executive Richard Muga proved futile.