Kenyan clinical officers ordered to suspend strike

By Samuel Ouma

The Labor Court on Tuesday halted an ongoing strike by clinical officers.

Justice Maureen Onyango directed the workers to resume work and continue offering services at their respective workstations.

In her ruling, Justice Onyango ordered that all disciplinary procedures against the clinical officers be halted. The employers were also ordered to pay salaries for all workers without fail.

In compliance with the court ruling, Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO) Chairman Peterson Wachira called off the strike and asked all members to report back to work.

“We will comply with the court order…we direct our members to report to their work stations…Employers have not addressed our grievances even as we resume duty.”

“We shall not voluntarily expose ourselves even as we report back to duty…We urge employers to sign and implement the Return To Work Formula (RTWF),” said Dr. Wachira.

The officers downed their tools in December last year, protesting against insufficient Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) for the frontline workers battling against the novel coronavirus.

The workers accused the government of failing to honor its promises to cater to health care workers' needs.

The go-slow kicked off when nine clinical officers had succumbed to the Covid-19 and at least 763 infected.