Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya, went on strike on Monday, September 28th. The employees of this company, which employs 5,000 people, are demanding wage increases. But several tragedies brought the case to court. Yesterday, a special court ordered the suspension of the movement.
Collected by the hundreds in the courtyard of the hospital, employees ask where their money is. They demand the application of a decision by Parliament dating back to 2012, which had changed the pay categories and should lead to an increase in wages. But the strike severely disrupted services.
Yesterday, a crying woman asked health workers to take care of a critically ill patient she had brought with her. On Monday, a motorcycle taxi driver who was injured in a traffic accident even died in the parking lot. Hospital management said his death was not due to the strike and that he was already in critical condition. Nevertheless, the board has filed an emergency proceeding in court. Yesterday, the Court demanded the suspension of the movement.
Seth Panyako, general secretary of the Nurses’ Union, asked staff to return to work but to remain mobilized. “If we do not respect the court decision, we will get nowhere. We are fighting for the court. But justice did not stop the strike, it suspended it. The union is taking care of the matter and we want to make sure our voice is heard. ”
Yesterday, the board said they regret that the situation has come to this, especially during an epidemic. He called on trade unions to resolve the deadlock. The case will go to court on October 6.
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