Siaya County health workers issue strike notice

Medical practitioners during a past strike. Health workers in Siaya County have threatened to go on strike. [PHOTO: FILE/STANDARD]

BY LAWRENCE ALURU

Health workers in Siaya County have issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the County government to immediately release their March salaries or they down their tools.

Led by the Kenya National Union of Nurses Siaya County Executive Secretary Sylvester Ng’anda, the workers have decried delayed release of their salaries, which they say is becoming a habit for the county government.

“The delay in payment of the salaries to the workers of the county is becoming habitual. We demand the Siaya Governor Cornel Rasanga to facilitate immediate release of our pay, failure to which we shall down our tools,” Mr Ng’anda said.

He said the members of the union are frustrated by this delay and have therefore petitioned the governor to speedily facilitate immediate release of their pay.

The workers want a permanent solution to the issue.

“It is painful to see that our members who are paid peanuts should be subjected to unnecessary delays which is tantamount to violating their basic human rights,” Mr Ng’anda said.

He added, “Any subsequent delays in the following months beyond 30th of every month will be followed by a strike at the beginning of the following month.”

Speaking to the press at the same venue in Siaya, Vice chairman of the Doctors Union Siaya County Dr Vitalis Ogola, lamented that much as they had initially believed that the delays were due to teething problems, it is very painful for workers to be subjected to such kind of mistreatment.

He demanded the salaries of over 300 employees who have not been paid since January. 

“Those who were employed on contract under the economic stimulus programme should be paid their pending salaries which is from January to March in full,” Ogola said.

He stated that as human beings, they are pained not to serve the community knowing that wananchi depend solely on them for the provision of healthcare services.