Casual workers at Moyo hospital have laid down their tools demanding for salary increment.
The workers also want the hospital to pay their salary arrears of two months. Led by their chairperson Agnes Aziku, the over 30 angry workers vowed not to resume work until the contractor clears the unpaid salary arrears and also accept to increase their monthly pay.
Aziku said they are unable to provide for their families and send their children to school because of low and delayed pay.
Aziku says the contractor has also failed to avail the workers with basic tools for cleaning, hence putting their health at risk since they clean using bare hands.
Each of the casual workers receives a monthly pay of 30.000 shillings but they are now demanding for an additional 50.000 to make a total of 80.000 shillings per month.
The acting medical superintendent, Dr. Charles Koma attributes the delay in payment of the casual laborers to late release of funds by the ministry of finance. He explains that since the strike started on Thursday, they’ve been looking for possible ways of sorting out the confusion within two days to avoid an outbreak of communicable diseases in the hospital.
The proprietor of Laropi traders’ enterprise, Dominic Vuga, whose company is contracted to clean the hospital, has not yet commented on the issue since he was locked up in a crisis meeting with the hospital officials on how to sort out the problem.
Hygiene and sanitation conditions at the hospital have deteriorated as the wards have spent two days without being cleaned.
This is not the first time casual laborers in Moyo district have gone on strike. Early last year, casual workers in Moyo hospital staged a four-day sit down strike over unpaid salaries.
