Meru threatens to stop striking health workers pay

The County Government of Meru has threatened to hold the October salaries for the Meru Teaching and Referral Hospital workers who have been on a strike for three weeks if they do not resume work.

County Secretary, Julius Kimathi, issued a notice to the striking staff saying that they may not receive their monthly pay if they do not abandon the industrial action.

However, the health workers, through the Meru County Health Workers Union secretary General, Nesbit Mugendi, dared the county government to fail to pay their salaries saying that the move would not only amount to intimidation but also lacks legal basis.

Speaking during a press briefing on Wednesday, October 19 at the county offices, Kimathi said the county government cannot pay for the work not done.

“We have decided to stop their October salaries, but we would wish to clarify that no one has been sacked,” said Kimathi.

The health workers, however, said that should the county government make true its threats, they will deal it a major blow by taking the strike a notch higher and hold peaceful demonstrations to protest the move.

The workers have been on a three-week strike protesting what they termed as a systematic delay in promoting them and failure by the county government to improve their working conditions.

“We went to the county offices last year and until now nothing has been done, no promotions, no nothing. We cannot go back to work as we also fear the county will not meet its part of the bargain,” Mr Mugendi told Citizen Digital on phone.

The county government says that it forwarded a return-to-work formular to the striking workers on October 19, 2016 but the employees are yet to return a copy signed by their officials.

The workers, however, say that they are consulting before appending their signatures on the deal since some demands have not been met.

The workers are also demanding a reduction in NHIF and NSSF contributions and promotion of the health workers.

Written by Atieno Mboya