Feb, 24th 2021 – Nurses have called off their strike following an order by the Labour Court.
Labour court Justice Maureen Onyango gave the order for the healthcare workers to resume work. She added that all disciplinary actions against them must be stopped. They are also supposed to be paid.
The Kenya National Union of Nurses Secretary General Seth Panyako directed all members to report back to work immediately. He said, “The strike which commenced on December 7, 2020 is hereby called off, all members to report to work immediately not later than tomorrow.”
He however said that the union will continue pursuing their demands even as they report back to work. Citing the unjust firing of some nurses in various counties, he added that as they return to work, they will recover all that they had lost.
He also noted that while on strike, no nurse has been reported dead. He said, “The eviction of nurses done in some counties were against the law. KNUN will ensure they recover what they lost. No single nurse died of COVID-19 when we were on strike.”
The nurses have been on strike for 79 days, in a strike that began from December 7th last year.
According to a letter signed by Mr. Panyako, it sated that, “In specific, our members from Taita Taveta, Kisii Kisumu, and Busia are hereby notified that all purported dismissal and evictions were stayed by the court.”
Meanwhile, 713 patients have recovered from Covid-19 today. Kenya’s recoveries now stand at 86,378.
However, 280 new cases were reported, bringing the country’s case load to 104,780. The country’s fatalities rose to 1,839 after another two patients died from the disease.