It’s exactly one month since nurses began their strike and all stakeholders seem to be quiet on the CBA stalemate that has totally paralysed services in various health facilities within the country. On Monday 3rd July 2017, nurses were back in the streets for the grand demonstration that was flagged off at Uhuru Park.
While at Harambee house, KNUN acting General Secretary Mr. Opetu reminded the office of the president that nurses through the union, procedurally negotiated a CBA with the government which was agreed on and was only awaiting to be signed and that nurses had come back to demand an answer to their petition that was served on 28th June 2017. He asked His Excellency the President to take a break from his campaigns and address the issue of strike and that he shouldn’t allow the people he mandated and trusted with responsibilities to fail him. The president was further asked to give an order for the CBA to be signed so that nurses can go back to work. He also reminded the politicians, the civil societies, the religious leaders, and the human rights activists that they are also Kenyans and should not remain quiet on the issue of the strike as the tax payers continue to die.
KNUN National Chairman Mr. Joseph Ngwasi, while addressing nurses at SRC headquarters reminded Ms Serem that her mandate is to advice, and given that the nurses employer who is the County Public Service Board agreed with the CBA, what was taking her long to assent to it? Mr Ngwasi was disappointed with the manner in which nurses strike was being handled.
This came after the entrance to SRC offices was blocked by heavy security who were manning the entire building. He reminded the officers that nurses through their union negotiated the CBA in a quiet, peaceful and sober environment, that there was no police force to coerce or intimidate them into negotiating and agreeing on the CBA. In a midst of chants and songs of freedom, he questioned police involvement in the CBA signing and the manner in which they were armed to protect a CBA that they were never a party to. Mr Ngwasi maintained that nurses needs were very clear: that what was bargained for, agreed on, and concluded on must be signed. He regretted that Ms Serem was holding nurses at a ransom and that by giving a go ahead to other CBAs of different unions, she was solely behind nurses strike.
And to any member of the public who dared to care, the union chairman was very clear, that the CBA chants that engulfed the whole town was not noise but a cry of freedom, freedom of a Kenyan nurse as enshrined under Article 4 (37) of Constitution of Kenya 2010. That when nurses negotiated for a CBA they negotiated for a document that will never be thrown away under their watch. That their patience was running out and nurses irredeemable minimum is the signing of the CBA.
Acting General Secretary, Mr. Opetu took the chance to praise Mr Rutere, a NEC member and KNH Branch secretary for being a fighter in the liberation of nurses from the hands of the oppressors. The later urged nurses who are still in the hospitals to join in the demonstrations as they also stand to benefit from the said CBA.
While addressing nurses within the confines of SRC, the acting General Secretary reiterated to Serem that an advice is either taken or rejected and that nurses had unanimously rejected her advice and wondered why she had become the controller of budgets instead of advising the National and County Governments and setting standards for state officers.
He summed up that nurses are professionals and backbone of the hospitals and therefore cannot be degraded to the level of sweepers. Frustrating a nurse is frustrating an anointed Angel left by Jesus Christ to take care of the sick and the suffering. A curse she will not be able to absolve herself from. He said these amidst rounds of applause. He maintained that nurses strike is still on until they receive an official communication from the General Secretary. He told nurses to stay put and embrace themselves for hard times for a people United can never be defeated.
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