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Return to work agreement signed

Kenya  Medical  Practitioners  and  Dentist  Union (KMPDU) Nyanza Chapter  on Tuesday  signed a return to work agreement  in  line  with  the 2017 Collective  Bargaining  Agreement (CBA) which prioritized promotion of various cadres  of medical staff in Kisumu County.

The  much-anticipated exercise followed a three days’ strike which commenced on Friday June 21, 2019 in Kisumu that  brought service delivery in all public health facilities to a standstill.

Prolonged  negotiations between the KMPDU team was spearheaded by the Union’s Chairman, Dr. Kevin Osuri and Kisumu  County Executive Committee (CEC) for Health, Nerry  Achar  who burnt the midnight oil to reach a consensus.

This   week  has come with a sigh of relief to both sides who warmed up to each other bragging over the magic wand they used to soften the hearts of the once vicious opponents who vowed never to budge an inch under whatever circumstances.

Speaking  during  an  earlier press briefing, Dr. Osuri  revealed that KMPDU had reached an agreement with the County  Government over the four key issues raised when they issued a strike notice on June 14, 2019.

But  today, the Chairman changed tune arguing that he had no reason to doubt whether the County Government would  not honour their side of the bargain, while calling on all doctors to return to their places of work with immediate effect after the two sides put pen to paper.

Following  the signing, Dr. Osuri  assured that all the demands for promotions for doctors, nurses, laboratory technicians  and  other  medical  staff  have been settled. The signing ceremony was also attended by the County Secretary, Dr. Olangó  Onudi.

The  Union has also negotiated for the release of doctors on study leave, comprehensive NHIF coverage and remittance of statutory deductions to relevant bodies.

“We have been able to negotiate and we have reached an agreement with the County Government and for that reason, we have no reason not to trust the Government at this point,” said Dr. Osuri.

By  Joseph  Ouma/Cynthia  Owiti

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