Public workers demand 90 per cent salary rise

PHOTO | JENNIFER MUIRURI | FILE Salaries and Remuneration Commission chairperson Sarah Serem flanked by the Inspector General of Police David Kimaiyo during a heads of Commissions meeting at the Serena Hotel on May 31, 2013. The Union of Kenya Civil Servants has said its pay demands were in cognisance of the existence of the Salaries and Remuneration Commission and its role of advising the government on public officers’ remuneration.

What you need to know:

  • Union also wants members assured of job security as devolution pace picks up
  • The civil servants also complained of high taxation as opposed to their Defence counterparts who enjoy duty-free shops
  • They want the current tax relief raised from Sh12,000 to Sh30,000

Civil servants have issued fresh demands for a 90 per cent salary increment.

They also want new house and hardship allowances included in Thursday’s budget so that they can be paid from July 1.

The Union of Kenya Civil Servants said its demands were in cognisance of the existence of the Salaries and Remuneration Commission and its role of advising the government on public officers’ remuneration.

“The union has demanded a 90 per cent salary increase alongside other packages in the proposed Collective Bargaining Agreement.” UKCS said in a statement signed by Mr Jerry ole Kina on behalf of the secretary-general.

The workers demanded that they be awarded a hardship allowance the government promised them in 2009 and that a 2007 pledge to harmonise house allowances be met.

“Harmonisation of house allowances was meant to eliminate the discriminative payment where rural areas are paid less while urban areas are paid more,” the statement said and explained that the imbalance denied rural area some services as workers opted for urban areas to earn higher house allowances.

The union asked the government to assure its members of job security due to devolution.

The civil servants also complained of high taxation as opposed to their Defence counterparts who enjoy duty-free shops.

They want the current tax relief raised from Sh12,000 to Sh30,000, and tax be levied on basic salary only, exempting all allowances.

The union said it was easy to collect taxes from employees and asked the government not to punish civil servants for its inability to collect taxes from the private sector.