Doctors Collective Bargaining Agreement With Counties Registered At Labour Court

The Collective Bargaining Agreement signed between doctors union, KMPDU, and county governments have been registered at the Labour Court.

The CBA was signed by the two sides on July 6, 2017, following the crippling 100-day pay strike that ended in March.

Read Also: Public University Lecturers And Workers Strike Over CBA Implementation

Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union officials presented the documents before Justice Nzioka Wamakau at Employment and Labour Relations Court in Nairobi.

Addressing the media outside Milimani courts on Monday, KMPDU secretary general Ouma Oluga said he was happy and grateful for the milestone.

“With the registration, this document then becomes binding. A CBA has timelines and a structure in a way in which the union and the employer can engage freely.”

“We must put a united front since this is the first CBA to be registered in the public health sector. We now owe the public a better health system,” he said.

Oluga thanked all stakeholders, doctors and the public for their continued support throughout the journey.

Three counties, however, did not register because they lacked Salaries and Remuneration Commission letters. Oluga said the three counties will look for the letters then take document for registration.

Read Also: Doctors From Tanzania, Ethiopia, And Cuba To Replace Striking Doctors

The Collective Bargaining Agreement signed in June states allowances will be paid to all practicing doctors, pharmacists and dentists. It nearly doubles the salary of an intern from Sh140,000 to Sh212,000.

It was arrived at after three months of agony, street protests, and a jail sentence.

At one point, the government threatened to sack the striking medical officers and in turn import 500 foreign doctors from Tanzania and elsewhere to curb the staffing crisis.

However, High Court Judge, Nelson Abuotha, barred the government from importing the foreign doctors until consultations with all stakeholders within the health sector have been held.