BY NT REPORTER.
The Employment and Labour Relations Court has ordered doctors and nurses to resume work after declaring their strike illegal.
The order was issued by Justice Hellen Wasilwa who directed union officials to call off the strike immediately.
Last week Employment and labor relations court directed striking doctors must appear in court on Tuesday next week to try resolve a pay rise dispute that has paralysed health services countrywide.
Judge Hellen Wasilwa also directed Kilimani OCS to assist in serving the officials with the orders.
The directions were issued after the council of governors moved to court against Kenya medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dental Union and its officials.
In a certificate of urgency the council of governors argued that the medical practitioners have proceeded to go on unlawful and unprotected strike thereby gravely affecting the health and wellbeing of patients.
“Unless the unlawful strike is stopped by this court thereby irreparably harm to the people who are in need of Medicare, “reads court documents.
Those in the private sectors said they would join the strike on Tuesday in solidarity with their public counterparts to force the government to listen to the medics demands.
Unions are demanding a 300 per cent pay increment for doctors, and 25 to 40 per cent rise for nurses.
They said they had signed a Collective Bargaining Agreement with the government in 2013 but that it is yet to be implemented.
The medics’ union is also asking a review of working conditions, job structures, criteria for promotions, and under-staffing of medical professionals in state hospitals.
Last Wednesday, the government offered a Sh50,000 increase for the lowest paid doctors, which would raise their salaries to Sh176,000, but unions rejected it and walked out of talks.
President Uhuru Kenyatta also urged doctors to return to work promising that a solution would be found.
The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists’ Board rejected an offer for a pay rise by the government outside the Collective Bargaining Agreement agreement signed three years ago.
KMPDU declined to call off the strike saying the CBA must be implemented fully and that it will not accept offers made outside the deal.
