Union leaders Wilson Sossion and Tom Odege warn of major strike

The country could be plunged into major industrial turmoil in the New Year that could paralyse government operations following threats by teachers and public servants that they will withdraw their services over allowances.

Trade Union Congress of Kenya (TUC-K) Secretary-General Wilson Sossion on Thursday wrote to Labour Cabinet Secretary Kazungu Kambi warning that he would lead teachers and other public servants in a major strike next month if the government did not withdraw by Wednesday next week a new regime of allowances announced by the Salaries and Remunerations Commission (SRC).

Mr Sossion said that over 600,000 government workers, including teachers, would not return to work in January unless the government withdraws what he termed as demeaning allowances created by the SRC and initiates structured negotiations with workers on the issue.

The 300,000 teachers under the Kenya National Union of Teachers are currently engaged in a salary dispute with the government and have threatened to paralyse learning beginning in January.

OVERSTEPPING ITS MANDATE

Mr Sossion, who is also the secretary-general of the teachers' union, is the new leader of TUC-K, an umbrella workers' federation bringing together teachers, civil servants, public university workers, local government workers and dock workers.

“After in-depth consultations between the leadership of the unions within the public sector of our economy, we wish to state that the SRC is overstepping its constitutional mandate as provided for in Article 230 (4)(b) to advise the national and county governments on the remuneration and benefits of all public officers,” Mr Sossion wrote.

Mr Sossion also said that the SRC now claims to have frozen further review of basic salaries despite ongoing collective bargaining talks between various public-sector unions with a view to frustrating ongoing negotiations.

“This is outrageous as the SRC is fully aware that all the unions in the sector are engaged in collective bargaining in order to sign tripartite agreements upon conclusion,” the TUC-K boss said.

'NO CONSULTATIONS'

Mr Sossion further said that the SRC was not sincere in its new order, claiming that its own commissioners received hundreds of thousands of shillings in allowances with up to four of them receiving double salaries from various public boards they sit on as commissioners.

“We are asking the commission to confirm or deny that all the commissioners receive monthly salaries or stipends in excess of Sh350,000 notwithstanding the fact that they are only entitled to allowances for a certain number of meetings in a year,” he wrote.

Mr Sossion asked Mr Kambi to order the withdrawal of the new allowances and initiate fresh talks by accommodating public participation.

“Following our scrutiny of this document we have concluded that this report or decision was arrived at without public participation; none of our unions was consulted, (and) the same should be declared void as it is unconstitutional,” said the union leader.

(READ: Sossion threatens industrial action over SRC stand on allowances)

'BAD FAITH'

Union of Kenya Civil Servants (UKCS) Secretary-General Tom Odege insisted that civil servants would join teachers in a national strike if the government failed to stick to an agreement between the union and the Public Service Commission to allocate Sh21 billion for increased house and hardship allowances.

“We had agreed that the allowances will apply uniformly in all towns and cities, with the least paid worker in job group A getting Sh7,500 while those in job group V were to get Sh130,000,” Mr Odege said.

He said that the SRC acted in bad faith without consulting stakeholders, adding that the move would trigger one of the worst strikes in the public service.

Mr Odege said that the house survey rates by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics had advised that house allowances should not be lower than Sh7,500 but under the SRC proposal the lowest-paid worker would get only Sh3,500.