Nurses in Kisii County on Monday took to the streets to protest the national and county governments’ failure to sign their collective bargaining agreement.The agreement which came into being after negotiations between the nurses and their employer on Dec 14, 2016, was supposed to be signed before their new terms of  service and conditions would be implemented.Services in all government health facilities remained paralyzed for the second day running as the nurses stayed away from work following the expiry of yesterday’s midnight deadline issued by the Kenya National Union of Nurses for the signing of the CBA.At the Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital, there were no services in the Maternal Child Health clinics, palliative services and renal dialysis departments as they are mostly administered by nurses, who were absent from their workstations.The MCH clinic was a scene of despair as disappointed pregnant mothers waited in vain for nurses to assist them, with a few clinical officers trying their best to handle their cases."We have been told to come back when the nurses will return to work but we don't know when that will happen," said Ms Robina Mose, a pregnant mother of two.KTRH chief executive Dr Enoch Ondari was also said to be away on official duties, and could not be reached for comment.Addressing the Nation, KNUN Kisii Branch chair Mr Fredrick Oigo said the nurses were tired of waiting for the signing of their CBA, which was to be done in the first week of March.“We have waited patiently for the signing of the CBA in vain. We were told it would be signed on May 11, but the government sent people who lacked the status to act as legally recognized signatories,” said Mr Oigo.He said that the State backtracked on its intentions to have the illegal signatories participate in the signing after nurses’ union representatives protested.“After we objected to the illegal signatories taking part in the process, the government promised to have the CBA duly signed on June 2, but did not do so, much to our disappointment,” said the union chair.Union officials vowed not to return to work until the CBA had been signed and implemented, saying their resolve to get better terms odf service was unshakeable."We have withdrawn our services until such a time that the national and devolved governments shall see it fit to sign the CBA, which guarantees us better working conditions. Among the terms and conditions listed in the CBA were promotions, salaries, pay grades, designations and nurses' positions, the the Nurses’ Service Allowance and the National Health Service Allowance, which the nurses claimed to have received for the month of January before it was suddenly withdrawn.“We received the health service allowance for the month of January, after which it was suddenly withdrawn without any explanations from the authorities,” said Mr Moses Rianga, the branch secretary of the KNUN. He said the nurses were justified in withdrawing their services since their demands had been ignored for six months after they went on strike.“Despite the fact that we called off the strike in December in the hopes that the government would address our grievances, the promised relief has not been forthcoming. We will not step in the facilities until the CBA is signed,” he said.He defended the union’s action as purely driven by work-related issues, saying the strike was not political.“Our union is not affiliated to any political party or movement, but is solely dedicated to agitating for our members’ rights. We are not on strike to drive any political agenda, but are simply asking for the CBA to be signed, deposited in court as a legally binding document and duly implemented,” said Mr Rianga.He also lamented the failure by the county government to pay the nurses on time, saying their May salaries were yet to be paid."We are tired of delays in the payment of our salaries, and will remain on strike until the issue of prompt salary payment is resolved," he said.Attempts by the Nation to contact Governor James Ongwae, the council of governors’ human resource committee chair in charge of the negotiations between the nurses and devolved units, proved futile as calls to his mobile line went unanswered. 

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