File | NATION Deputy Prime Minister and Finance minister Uhuru Kenyatta. Treasury has taken a tough stance on the ongoing doctors’ strike, dashing hope for a quick solution to the standoff that has paralysed operations at public hospitals in the last two weeks.
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On Tuesday, the union officials led by their secretary-general Boniface Chitayi beat a hasty retreat and renounced the breakthrough, further deepening the stalemate. They said the deal reached on Monday did not cover most of their claims.
The officials have vowed to continue with the strike and even resign en masse if their demands are not addressed.
Mr Uhuru’s comments came just a day after the cabinet called for the setting up of the Salaries Review Commission in the next two weeks to review pay rows involving civil servants.
Under the Constitution, the Salaries and Remuneration Commission is tasked with setting reasonable salaries to public officials.
Doctors on Wednesday called off the 10- day strike that had paralysed medical care in hospitals across the country.
The strike was called off after a special delegates meeting in Nairobi that approved Monday’s negotiations with the government.
Dr Boniface Chitayi, secretary- general of Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union, said, “We have called off the strike today, but the journey for better health care continues.”
Earlier, Treasury had taken a tough stance on the ongoing doctors’ strike after the medics opted to go on with the strike despite their union leaders having signed a return to work deal with the state on Monday.
Finance minister Uhuru Kenyatta said the government has already given the striking doctors its best offer, indicating that the country may have to wait for the yet to be formed sectoral task force for an amicable solution.
“As far as Treasury is concerned, we have already agreed on the way forward, which involves a return-to-work formula”, he said yesterday during a signing ceremony with Slovak government.
“Every party to the dispute was represented in the negotiations that yielded a breakthrough agreement on Monday,” he said, adding that doctors should go back to work as talks for the remaining parts of the agreement continue.
Officials of Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU), the doctors’ union, had on Monday night agreed to the government’s return to work formula after a closed-door meeting.
The government put Sh20 million on the table for training, Sh85 million to settle debts, Sh54 million for medical personnel currently in training and a further Sh61 million for other training needs.
The government had also committed to hire 200 new doctors to ease the load on over-stretched teams at the public hospitals, besides setting up a task force to look into the medics’ grievances.
On Tuesday, the union officials led by their secretary-general Boniface Chitayi beat a hasty retreat and renounced the breakthrough, further deepening the stalemate.
They said the deal reached on Monday did not cover most of their claims.
The officials have vowed to continue with the strike and even resign en masse if their demands are not addressed.
Mr Uhuru’s comments came just a day after the cabinet called for the setting up of the Salaries Review Commission in the next two weeks to review pay rows involving civil servants.
Under the Constitution, the Salaries and Remuneration Commission is tasked with setting reasonable salaries to public officials.
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