Nurses to wait longer to know their fate

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Nurses to wait longer to know their fate

Tuesday, April 2, 2019 9:25

By NASIBO KABALE

Nurses will now have to wait the outcome of the conciliation team appointed by Labour Ministry and Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) to find out if their return to work formula agreement will be implemented.

This comes after the team presented their finding to the Labour Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani Monday who said that the report would be presented in court.

“I appreciate the cooperation by the parties in dispute and the conciliation team. The report will be registered with the employment and labour relations court to give further direction,” said Mr Yatani.

Nurses had in February been forced to put on hold their strike after the Industrial Court suspended the strike for a period of 60 days further ordering the parties to attend the conciliation process before filing a report.

KNUN is demanding that national and county governments pay the nurses Sh5,000 each annual uniform allowance and an increase in their risk perks by Sh3,000 to Sh23, 000.

The union says the State has reneged on a deal agreed November last year, which helped end a five-month strike.

Mr Yatani appointed Harun Mwaura, Abisai Abenge of the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE) and Benson Okwaro of Confederation of Trade Unions (Cotu) as the lead conciliators in the pay talks.

Payment of the perks will raise the nurses' wage bill by Sh1 billion this year and up to Sh3.1 billion in the financial year starting July 2021.