Kuria vows to supervise CBA negotiations in a bid to contain wagebill » Capital News
NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 12 — Public Service Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria has announced that his Ministry will take charge of negotiating all Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) with government workers’ unions nationwide.
Kuria made the declaration in response to inquiries from journalists regarding the ongoing dispute between doctors and the government over salaries for medical interns.
He emphasized that centralizing CBA negotiations under his ministry’s purview would mitigate future conflicts and bring “some semblance of order” within the public service.
“We are going to crack the whip. Going forward, only my ministry is going to be in charge of negotiating CBAs because we’re the HR experts of the government of the Republic of Kenya,” he said.
CS Kuria reiterated the government’s stance that medical interns should receive stipends, not salaries, denouncing the proposed Sh206,000 salary as unreasonable.
He warned that conceding to doctors’ demands could prompt similar ‘unsrealistic’ requests from other professions.
Equity
The Public Service CS said that just like doctors, Engineers, actuarial scientists and other professionals equally achieved better grades calling for fair treatment of all regardless of their jobs.
Kuria added that it is unjust have rules for different professions “for people who went to the same high school together and chose to go different directions in their careers.”
“I am having this conversation to stop all profession or function-driven CBAs,” he said.
While urging doctors to consider both their patients’ well-being and the nation’s “economic health” during negotiations, Kuria stressed the importance of finding a balanced resolution.
On April 8, the Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists Dentists Union (KPMDU) threatened to escalate the ongoing doctors’ strike as the government remained adamant on a proposed Sh70,000 salary for intern doctors.
KPMDU officials, led by Secretary-General Dr. Davji Atella, convened with doctors in Eldoret, affirming their unwavering stance.
Atella accused some governors of withholding doctors’ salaries as a form of intimidation.
Responding to governors’ claims that the disputed 2017 collective bargaining agreement should be reviewed, Atella insisted that the document was finalized and should be upheld without alterations.
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