BY SAM ALFAN.
The government has cancelled a Sh14.5 billion offer it earlier made doctors to end their strike that has lasted more than three months.
President Kenyatta and governors on Tuesday took a short break from the ongoing devolution conference in Naivasha to address the job boycott that is in its 94th day.
It had proposed the “good gesture” of backdating their risk allowances to July 2016, a package that would cost a total of Sh600 million.
The alternative was backdating the emergency allowance to October 2016, an expense that would have added up to Sh570 million.
Council of Governors chairman Peter Munya, who announced the cancellation, said the offer also included a 50 per cent increase in salaries.
Government decision came hours aftee Court of appeal granted parties in the doctors mediation process three more days to iron out the remaining issues among them the return to work formula.
“we grant further mention to complete outstaning cba and matter to be mentioned on 13th march to record consent ,” Judge Martha Koome ruled.
The bench also asked the religious leaders to walk with the doctors until a solution is found.
Lawyer Phillip Murgor representing the doctors submitted that theres a process to be followed adding that the involvement of the head of state has played a key part and there has been some adjustments on the part of the government.
“What remains is for the parties to agree on the documents then the revised and amended the contentious CBA 2013 and return to wok formulae be agreed,” Murgor submitted .
The court heard that the terms of return to work formulae is still been discussed According to Murgor ,doctors maintain that the recognition agreement must be executed first so as to end the ongoing strike He further submitted that that doctors are ready to execute the agreement today when the government and the Council of Govornors execute the documents.
However Ministry of Health lawyer Waigi Kamau said that what should come first is the recognition Agreemnet,then return to work formulae before going to the CBA 2013.
“We are committed to sitting down with them -doctors and have the CBA signed,”ministry of health lawyer said. COG lawyer Eunice Lumala submitted that a lot has been covered saying that government has been made to negotiate under duress. “let the doctors resume work forthwith, then we sign a recognition agreement in 5 days then a CBA in maybe 10 days,” said Lumalas.
