The Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO) joined the ongoing doctor’s strike on Monday, April 1, 2024.
This is after the clinical officers issued a seven-day strike notice to the national and county governments on March 25.
Speaking on March 31, KUCO chairperson Peterson Wachira said the Union downed their tools since the two levels of government failed to meet their demands despite the strike notice.
In the notice, KUCO Secretary General George Gibore detailed the reasons why the Union threatened to join the doctors strike together with their demands to the government.
Strike Notice Details
Gibore called out the Ministry of Health (MoH) for failing to implement the first Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for its members since November 2017 despite continuous engagement in negotiations.
“Numerous industrial actions have ensued, resulting in the signing of several return-to-work formulas, none of which have been implemented,” the notice read in part.
“Notably, the most recent agreement, signed by the Ministry of Health in July 2023, stipulated a 90-days’ negotiation and conclusion period for the CBA, a commitment that has been blatantly disregarded by the Government.”
He explained that the Council of Governors (CoG) failed to resume negotiations despite the Employment and Labour Relations Court ordering parties to resume negotiations with the aim of recording a consent.
KUCO further said the employer has failed to address the perennial issues affecting service delivery by Clinical Officers.
The issues listed include delayed salary payments, lack of promotions and redesignation, dire shortage of over seventy thousand Clinical Officers, discriminatory and exploitative short-term contracts, and failure to implement approved staff establishments for interns.
“Despite the commitment made in “The Kericho Declaration on Human Resources for Health in Kenya” signed on 18th October 2023, to address these issues within specific timelines, no tangible progress has been made,” the notice read in part.
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Clinical Officers Demands
The Union demanded that the MoH and CoG should comply with the court order, finalize, and registers the CBA in court within the next seven days.
KUCO directed MoH to implement the payment of enhanced Risk Allowance of Ksh15,000 pursuant to the Return-to-work Agreement signed on 1 January 2021.
“That the MoH and County Governments issues letters of promotion and redesignation to all deserving Clinical Officers,” KUCO said.
The Union also urged the two levels of government to recruit over twenty thousand unemployed and qualified clinical officers to cover the existing shortage.
“We are open and ready for a constructive dialogue should the employer opt for a dialogue,” stated the notice.
Clinical officers also call for the immediate issue of confirmation letters to permanent and pensionable positions for all Universal Health Care (UHC) staff, COVID-19 employees (CHERP), UHC interns, National TB Programme Clinical Officers and other Clinical Officers on other forms of contracts.
“Failure to fully address the aforementioned grievances, the strike will commence on Monday as resolved by the Kenya Union of Clinical Officers Advisory Council Meeting on 24th March 2024,” read the notice in part.
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Other Demands
Besides, the Union demanded that clinical officer interns (Diploma & Degree) be paid as per the approved internship staff establishment by the Public Service Commission (PSC).
KUCO also wanted the approval of the career progression guidelines for clinical officers’ personnel and settlement of withheld salaries for their members.
The Union demanded CoG Chairperson Anne Waiguru to reinstate all the dismissed clinical officers in Kirinyanga as ordered by the PSC.
Besides, KUCO called on the governments to provide comprehensive medical cover for all actively serving clinical officers in the public sector to enable them access services wherever they need them.
