Moi University doctor-lecturers Strike Still On- Northrift KMPDU Official
The Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentist Union (KMPDU) now says the doctors cum Moi University school of her science strike will go on.
According Northrift KMPDU secretary Dr. Kamonzi Mulei the strike will continue untill the university pays lecturers their dues.
“We held a meeting with doctors working in the College of Health Sciences and after lengthy deliberations, our members resolved to continue with the strike until that time when Moi University Management will come to the table and address their grievances. In fact, our members have decided that they are tired of the perennial strikes and that this strike goes on, until those issues are sorted out once and for all,” Dr Mulei said.
Some of the issues that led to their strike includes nonpayment of clinical allowances arrears from July 2020 to March 2021,exclusion of doctors working in the Health services department in payment of clinical allowances since 2017.
“The Moi University management has failed to remit statutory deductions including bank loans, NHIF, pension, Union dues address issues of understaffing across all the departments and also failure to give recognition to KMPDU as the union representing doctors in the University,” he added.
The union issued a 14 days strike notice on the 15th November, 2021.
“The university Management however failed to avert that industrial action. Unfortunately, the university has refused to address the core issues that led to the strike and instead turned to victimization, show-cause letters, and Illegal stoppage of December salaries and intimidation and thus evading resolving the grievances amicably and in a conclusive manner,” he said.
He reiterated that Moi University Management has refused to show goodwill and several attempts by the union to convene a meeting to discuss those issues have been in vain.
“KMPDU is willing to engage but the Employer has also gone on strike against her own employees. They have resulted to obtaining court orders irregularly and using legal processes to deny our members their rightful dues. Nevertheless, we still believe in our judicial system despite the unfair administration of justice that weve seen thus far,” he said.
He callws upon all stakeholders and government agencies to come with haste and help find a solution to this standoff which if not fully resolved will see the death of this great institution.
” We also petition the Ministry of higher education, EACC, DCI to come to the rescue and help unravel this mystery of monies that were given through due government budgetary procedures to specifically pay doctors allowances/arrears and diverted to other functions by the University management,” he says.
“KMPDU will remain committed and open to negotiations anytime called upon to do so.
As for now, THE STRIKE CONTINUESAluta Continua,” he added.
KMPDU is a registered trade union representing doctors in both public and private institutions in the republic of Kenya. On 5th December 2016, ALL doctors in public institutions including those working in the universities went on strike to agitate for poor working conditions/remuneration in the public sector. To end the stalemate which took more than 100 days, a Return to Work Formula (RTWF) was signed between the national and county government and the doctors union (KMPDU).
Following the strike, doctors working in Ministry of Education where medical schools are domiciled were not paid the clinical allowances and this occasioned appeal to the Ministry of Education. Subsequently, doctors went on strike twice to demand for the payment of those allowances. Those industrial actions were in 1st March 2018 and the other on 17th June 2019.
Moi University management went to court to obtain a court order suspending the latter strike to pave way for conciliation. Despite continuous engagements for over two years, Moi University has remained non committal to the issues raised by the lecturers and doctors working in College of Health Sciences (CHS) and the Health Services Department.
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