The Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives Busia branch has suspended its strike for 90 days to give room for full resolution of the issues, including the implementation of the SRC circular of 2024 by the county government.
The branch secretary, James Omusugut, speaking after the meeting with the representatives of the county government, said their suspension will be for 90 days, in which all issues they have raised should be fully addressed.
“We are suspending the strike for 90 days from now, and our nurses are hereby directed to report to work at the latest in the next 48 hours. We have given out this time for the county government to solve all the issues that have remained pending, in which failure to do so, we will resume with our strike,” he said.
Omusugut added that they have agreed on the implementation of the allowance increments and the issue of the UHC workers.
“We have resolved issues regarding the return-to-work formula of 2017, which had a salary increment of the uniform allowances from 10,000 to 25,000 and a nursing service allowance that was to increase from 20,000 to 30,000, which Busia County has agreed to implement in 3 financial years. The issues of the UHC staff have been sorted by the national government, and we have agreed on the same,” he added.
The official further noted that they have failed to agree on some issues, including the third-party deduction, for which they have given them room for discussion for resolution.
“We have not agreed fully on the third-party deduction, and the county government has agreed to pay off SHA up to date by August within 30 days of signing the agreement. Regarding the issue of the implementation of the SRC circular of 2024, they have asked for time, and in 30 days we will be meeting with them so that they can present their offer. If they will have resolved all issues that are still pending in 90 days, we will officially call off our strike,” he said.
Busia Deputy Governor, who is also the CECM for health, Arthur Odera, said that they are committed to ensuring they fully resolve the issues completely.
“We have agreed and signed the return-to-work agreement that the nurses should go back to work. The suspension of the strike is for 3 months to give us room to resolve three issues that have not been fully concluded, which I can assure that we will resolve within the TimeLine,” he said
Odera further noted that there is a need to ensure the nurses enjoy a greater relationship with the employer and create a conducive working environment with all health workers in the county.
Busia County Secretary Oscar Juma, in his address, said the pending issues have huge financial implications, thereby needing time to find the lasting solution.
“We have asked for time as the government to analyse the actual impacts of those demands on our wage bill, and within that time, we will be able to work on that. We will also take the direction and decision at the cabinet level before we are able to conclusively resolve the issues.
Juma assured the workers of the county government’s commitment towards resolving the issues, adding that they should be done through the right procedures and protocols.
“We expect our nurses to get back to work so that our people can continue to receive better services even as we also generate revenue that will be used to address some of your demands,” he said.
By Salome Alwanda and Rodgers Omondi
