County Workers Issue Government with 21-day Strike Notice Over Failure to Increase Salaries

Members of Kenya County Government Workers Union have issued the government with a 21-day strike notice.

The workers are now demanding salary increments which they claim have not been reviewed since 2012.

In a statement issued by Secretary-general Roba Duba on Wednesday the county workers made reference to the increment of salaries for the larger cadre of civil servants which was effected earlier this week saying that the public service is discriminating against county workers by not replicating the same.

Duba issued a 21-day ultimatum for the government to increase the salaries failure to which all the county workers including ECDE teachers, sewer men, firemen, enforcement officers, garbage collectors, revenue clerks, parking attendants, TVET instructors, mortuary attendants, ambulance attendants would go on strike.

“It has come to our attention that the National Government employees’ salaries are being increased in the implementation of the second phase of salary increments in Public Service to the exclusion of county employees… This continuous discrimination of County Government workers is unfair and unlawful therefore not unacceptable,” stated Duba.

“Consequently, we hereby demand the immediate implementation of the salary increment for all county employees without any further delay within 21 days herein, failure to which, we shall call upon all county employees to down their tools until the same is implemented.”

The Union blamed President Ruto for failure to live up to his promise of effecting a 7 to 10 percent salary increase to all county workers as a cushion against the effects of the high cost of living and inflation, after the same was done to other civil servants.

The workers claim their plight has been ignored even as the cost of living went up.

“In response to this unfortunate development, we addressed Dr William Samoei Ruto through a letter dated 30th August 2023 on the discrimination of county governments which he kindly through the Head of Public Service directed the state department of devolution to look into the matter. Todate nothing has been forthcoming which is against the directive of tHis Excellency the president,” said Duba.

“We are now perturbed that the discrimination has shifted from some county employees to all county employees as the implementation of the Second phase. This phase is said to cover, the public servants of the national government to the exclusion of all county workers. These previous actions of discrimination have led to the demonization of these employees which would only translate to poor service delivery to Kenyans who elected the current government into office…”

According to the new structure, which covers the second phase of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), the lowest cadre within the civil service, whose current pay is Ksh.16,910, will now go home with the new pay of Ksh.18,250.

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