Public health workers suspend strike for 30 days

After 94 days of an industrial action, public health officers have finally called off their nationwide strike for 30 days to pave way for talks with the government. The move follows an intervention by Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale who agreed to give the union an opportunity to engage in negotiations to find a lasting solution to the ongoing dispute. While announcing the suspension in Kitui County, the Kenya Environmental Health and Public Health Practitioners Union Secretary-General Brown Ashira urged all officers to resume duty within 24 hours. Ashira says the decision was prompted by the reported Ebola cases and the critical role Public Health Officers play in disease surveillance and outbreak response. The union has already signed a return-to-work formula with Kitui County and will now use the 30-day window to push for a comprehensive deal with the national government failure to which the strike could resume.