NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 25- Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) workers have vowed to proceed on strike next week if their demands to have salaries reviewed will not have been met.
The Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Education Institutions, Hospitals and Allied Workers led by Shop Steward Kenneth Thuranira said the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) ought to implement the 2012 salary review for the workers to call off the strike.
“When the hospital was recategorized a new salary scale was also approved but only the salary of the Chief Executive Officer was implemented and the rest were ignored. We are not children of a lesser God and what we want is the SRC to give a concurrence so that the money can be paid,” Thuranira said.
He further pointed out that besides SRC implementing the salary review, they will also be seeking to ensure that they are paid the arrears owed failure to which doctors and nurses from the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union(KMPDU) and the Kenya National Union of Nurses(KNUN) will also down their tools.
“We have no problem with the Management of KNH; we have no problem with Parliament and Treasury because we know they have done their part. The money is there. If the former CEO started enjoying the benefits of the hospital re-categorization since 2012, then we also need money that is owed to us since 2012,” said Thuranira.
His sentiments were echoed by the Kenya Nation Union of Nurses, KNH branch Secretary Jane Mwaniki and National Nurses of Kenya Association Chairperson Alfred Obenga who called for the disbandment of SRC, accusing it of bias in discharging their duties.
“We are sending a clear message to the SRC, their job was to breach the gap between the high-income earners, with that of low-income earners but not to increase the salaries of the top managers and forget about those who work under them. We will not allow this and if the job is to hot for them then they should quit,” Obenga expressed.
In 2012 SRC’s advisory committee evaluated all parastatals in the country including referral hospitals such as KNH which they upgraded from level 3C to 7A, consequently elevating all the 7000 employees to a different salary scale a review the Lyn Mengich (SRC Chairperson) led body is adamant to enforce.
About The Author
