Civil servants pay deal gets nod

Civil servants have a reason to smile after a court adopted a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between their union and the government on new salaries.

Although the CBA was signed in June by Public Service Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki with the Union of Kenya Civil Servants officials, it was presented to court and officially adopted before Employment and Labour Relations judge Maureen Onyango on Wednesday.

“This is to inform you that the court, having duly considered the CBA entered into by the government and the said union, has this day accepted it and its registration in accordance with the relevant provisions,” the judge said.

SRC APPROVAL

The Labour ministry had also presented a letter in court on December 18 indicating that it had analysed the agreement, found it to be in conformity with guidelines on wages and, therefore, had no reason to object to it.

The Salaries and Remuneration Commission also gave its nod.

The CBA states that civil servants, including all employees of the national government deployed in both levels of governance, will have basic salary increments implemented in four phases with effect from July this year.

The new payments exclude uniformed personnel in the national defence forces, teachers under the Teachers Service Commission and the National Intelligence Service.

ALLOWANCE
The maximum salary for those in job group N will be Sh81,184 while the lowest in groups A-D are to get Sh14,442 while the minimum pay is Sh51,486 and Sh12,192 respectively.

All employees are to get a monthly housing allowance, which is to be effected from July 1, 2018.

Those working in Nairobi under job group N are to get Sh35,000, which is a raise from Sh24,000 while the lowest in groups A-D will be Sh3,750 from Sh3,000 as monthly housing allowance.

For places such as Mombasa, Kisumu, Malindi, Kilifi, Lamu, Kwale and Naivasha, the highest is to take home, as monthly housing allowance, Sh25,000 while the lowest will get Sh3,125, which is a raise from Sh17,000 and Sh2,500 respectively.

REGIONS
For those in towns such as Nyeri, Eldoret, Kericho, Kakamega, Kisii, Embu, Nanyuki, Nakuru, Lodwar and Garissa, the highest is to get Sh18,000 as monthly house allowance and the lowest will be given Sh2,500 from Sh13,000 and Sh2,000 respectively.

In the rest of the towns, the highest paid civil servant is to get Sh15,400 while the lowest will take home Sh2,250 from Sh11,000 and Sh1,800 respectively.

Those living in houses owned by their employers are to pay the stipulated rent for their accommodation.

In the agreement, all civil servants are to get a monthly commuter allowance ranging between Sh6,000 and Sh3,000 as well as leave allowance, which is between Sh6,000 and Sh4,000.

STRUCTURE
If one is transferred, he or she is entitled to a one month basic salary prior to being sent to the new station, which should not be less than 40km from the former place of work.

Surveyors, hydrologists, engineers, geologists and inspector of works are some of those exempted from getting transfer allowances besides those who move to other stations on their own request as well as those on temporary employment for less than three months.

Doctors, medical officers, dentists, pharmacists are to get non-practice allowance but for only those in group L, M and N of Sh12,000, Sh19,000 and Sh32,000 respectively.

Lawyers are also to get the non-practice allowance of Sh15,000 while health workers are entitled to extraneous allowance while veterinary personnel will get risk allowance.

All nurses are entitled to nursing service allowance for job groups G-L of Sh20,000 while those in M and above will get Sh15,000.