Kisumu Governor Anyang' Nyong'o says that health workers on strike will not be paid their salaries.
Nyong'o said the resolution was reached during a cabinet meeting, during which it was decided that no payment would be made for services not completed.
According to Nyongo, healthcare professionals absent from work are considered absconders and do not get any wages under labor relations laws.
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“In accordance with the Labour Relations Act, the county will not provide remuneration forwork not performed. Therefore, healthcare workers who have not been present at their designated workplace and have withdrawn their services will not be remunerated for the corresponding period,” Nyong’o said in a statement on Thursday.
He claims that the County Secretary and the public service board have already been asked to take the appropriate steps.
Nyongo has also stated that the county is urgently trying to hire physicians on short-term contracts at JOOTRH to fill the current vacuum caused by the strike.
According to Nyongo, the steps are designed to ensure continued service delivery in the health sector and the well-being of county inhabitants.
However, he does emphasize that the county is dedicated to addressing healthcare workers' issues through constructive conversation.
For its part, Kisumu County has met the vast bulk of the striking medical professionals' demands.
He stated that the County had always employed doctors, supplied them with extensive medical benefits, freed them for additional studies, and promoted them.
“We have always made extra efforts to pay salaries on time with contingency plans in place whenever funds are not received in time from the national treasury. A circular has been issued for all staff to access Mortgage and Car Loan Schemes,” Nyongo said, adding that posting interns is beyond the county government.
