Civil servants reject plan to lay them off
Against retrenchment: Rose Chesikari, Chairperson, Union of Kenya Civil Servants Uasin Gishu County branch accompanied by Julius Metto, the branch’s Executive Secretary and other officials address the press in Eldoret town on December 11, 2013. They opposed the government’s plan to retrench 100,000 workers saying this will increase the poverty rate in the country.
What you need to know:
- More than 500 civil servants yesterday opposed the planned retrenchment and salary cuts for government workers.
- Instead of forcing workers to retire, the government ought to lower its expenditure by reducing the number of constituencies because MPs “earned super salaries” the workers said.
- “We want assurance over the safety of our future, otherwise our members are very withdrawn at work,” Dr Otieno told a meeting of the union in Migori Town.
More than 500 civil servants on Thursday opposed the planned retrenchment and salary cuts for government workers.
The “bloated” wage bill that the government wanted to reduce had been caused by unexplained expenditure and over-employment of workers by counties, they argued.
Instead of forcing workers to retire, the government ought to lower its expenditure by reducing the number of constituencies because MPs “earned super salaries” the workers said.
“Why target poor public workers for retrenchment while county governments are busy employing new people?
These are double-standards that we will not accept,” said Dr Alex Otieno, Secretary of the Union of Kenya Civil Servants, Migori branch.
Public workers were demoralised due to uncertainty, he added.
RECKLESS SENTIMENTS
“We want assurance over the safety of our future, otherwise our members are very withdrawn at work,” Dr Otieno told a meeting of the union in Migori Town.
The official asked Deputy President William Ruto to stop “intimidating public servants through reckless sentiments.”
“After gagging the media, the Jubilee administration is now turning to the poor civil servants for harassment and intimidation.
We will not play along in their machinations,” he said.
Recently, Mr Ruto announced that the government will restructure the civil service to reduce its wage bill and save money for development.
“About 70 per cent of our country’s revenue is used to pay workers in our country and only 30 per cent left for development,” the Deputy President said.
Mr Ruto spoke last weekend during a fund-raiser in Meru county.
