Machakos health workers have threatened to strike on Monday if the county government will not have paid their March salaries.
In a press statement, the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union branch secretary in Lower Eastern Charles Okumu said they were concerned about difficult conditions doctors had been subjected to during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Okumu alleged that doctors and other health care workers had been working without salaries and could not afford even fare to report to work.
He said if they will not be paid they will stay at home and look for alternative ways to earn a living.
“As we struggle to find alternative means of transport and meet our daily needs of food and water elsewhere, including borrowing from relatives, we know too well that the county owes us salaries”, he said.
“Therefore until such a time that the county government of Machakos has paid us and has provided us with adequate PPEs we will continue to be a danger to ourselves, our families and Kenyans at large. So we should therefore keep off work effective Monday 20th April, 2020.”
He said the county government had breached an earlier agreement with KMPDU to pay salaries were by the fifth of every month so that work is not interrupted.
“We have reached a point of no return and it’s just not only the doctors but also the nurses, the clinical officers, the laboratory people. It is unfortunate that the county government has promised us additional allowances whereas they have not paid us our salaries,” Okumu said.
The KMPDU branch secretary said they contacted the county government to inquire about their salaries two weeks ago but were told the national government had not released funds.
Okumu said health care workers don’t have adequate personal protective gear and urged the county government to supply the PPEs for their safety during the fight against coronavirus.
Deputy governor Francis Maliti faulted the National Treasury for failing to release their equitable share of revenue due to the current economic slowdown.
“We have not paid all workers including the doctors. However, the Treasury started releasing the money on Thursday and we will send the money to the employee’s salary accounts,” Maliti said.
Two weeks ago, Governor Alfred Mutua said all health workers will benefit from allowances ranging from Sh5,000 to Sh20,000 depending on qualifications.
The Star.
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