Pay up or we strike in 21 days, doctors tell SRC, Counties

Doctors unionised under the Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists’ Union (KMPDU) have issued a 21-day strike notice, demanding a 300% pay rise.

KMPDU Secretary General Dr. Ouma Oluga says they want the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) to recognize a collective bargaining agreement, as directed by the industrial courts on the 6th of October this year.

“On the 5th of December 2016, if the Salaries and Remuneration Commission, the Ministry of Health, the County governments and every  single program where doctors work in the public sector will not agree as the court demanded to pay doctors these amounts of money, which equates to 300% salary increase, we shall proceed on a national strike,” said Oluga.

The KMPDU boss says the job evaluation exercise report, that was released Friday by SRC, will not help doctors in their demands for a pay rise according to the CBA signed between the union and the government.

“Kenyans have waited with a lot of anticipation for the results that were released yesterday, but what we saw was an exercise that was meant to dupe the public and sugarcoat the issues that workers go through,” the SG said.

Speaking  in Nairobi Saturday, Oluga said that according to the CBA that was signed between the Health Ministry and SRC, the lowest paid doctor should earn Ksh.342,000 while the highest paid doctor should be earn Ksh.946,000.

KMPDU took the SRC to the industrial court for refusing to implement the Collective Bargaining Agreement, with the court ordering the salaries commission on 6th October to honor the CBAs.

The agitated Oluga said, “As we speak the basic salary of a doctor still remains the Ksh.40, 000. The judgment was very clear that doctors deserve their pay, but up to now the SRC has been taking us round and round. The minimum paid doctor should earn Ksh.342,777 and the highest paid which are the specialists should earn Ksh.946,000.

The SRC released a job evaluation report that dictates that every public service worker should be paid an amount equal to the level of work they do.

SRC Chairperson Sarah Serem said the job evaluation exercise that is aimed at harmonizing salaries as well as reducing the gap between the lowest and the highest paid public servants.