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Atwoli engages government, doctors to resolve ongoing strike

Secretary General of the Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU-K). (X/Francis Atwoli)

By Bashir Mohammed | 06 Apr 2024 16:25

Atwoli emphasised COTU's commitment to finding a solution as the spokesperson for Kenyan workers while respecting the autonomy of affiliated unions.

Francis Atwoli, Secretary General of the Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU-K), has announced that the organisation is engaging in talks with the government and the doctors' union to resolve the ongoing strike.

Atwoli aims to facilitate a return-to-work formula, ensuring that contentious issues are addressed and doctors return to work.

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"We're consulting and narrowing the gap on issues to come up with a return-to-work formula for doctors to go back to work," Atwoli said during a Shops stewards meeting on Saturday.

Atwoli emphasised COTU's commitment to finding a solution as the spokesperson for Kenyan workers while respecting the autonomy of affiliated unions.

He also recalled being the first to condemn the attack on Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Dentists Union (KMPDU) Secretary General Davji Atellah in late February.

The doctors' strike, which began on March 14, has led to a standoff between the union and the government. Despite court orders to halt the strike, doctors have continued to push for their demands, including the resolution of issues surrounding medical interns.

In a late Tuesday statement, the government asked the doctors to end their strike, announcing the payment of salary arrears and the hiring of trainee doctors starting this Thursday at a cost of Sh2.4 billion ($18.39 million).

"We decline these proposals in total," Abidan Mwachi, KMPDU's chairman, wrote on social media platform X, adding that the government had not paid salary arrears.

COTU's intervention aims to break the impasse and find a mutually acceptable solution. Atwoli's efforts to facilitate dialogue between the government and the doctors' union are ongoing, with the goal of protecting workers' interests while respecting the autonomy of affiliated unions.

"We want to ensure that the issues are ironed out and doctors go back to work," Atwoli emphasised.

On behalf of COTU (K), I have been consulting with the Ministries of Labour and Health, including today morning, to ensure that we restore industrial peace and harmony in the health sector. pic.twitter.com/N2nwhyyhI2
— Francis Atwoli NOM (DZA), CBS, EBS, MBS. (@AtwoliDza) April 6, 2024