Govt moves to avert civil servants strike

The Union of Kenya Civil Servants (UKCS) Friday agreed to put on hold plans for a strike after Labour Minister promised to intervene over the disputed salary increase.

The Union's Secretary General, Tom Odege, said John Munyes had appointed a conciliator to ensure that pending issues over the pay were ironed out as quickly as possible.

More than 100,000 civil servants had threatened to go on strike if the government fails to pay them their commuter/transport allowance by the end of June

Odege said the conciliator, who is one of the Commissioners in the Ministry of Labour, was expected to reach an amicable agreement with the union by Friday next week failure to which, he would mobilise members countrywide to down their tools. Odege said the union was angered by the government's failure to award its members the remaining 17%t of the 45% salary increase negotiated way back in 2007.

He noted that the balance was to be finalized in the 2008/2009 financial year but the government backtracked citing the negative impact on the economy following the 2007 post election violence.

Speaking to journalists, in his Nairobi office Friday, the union secretary said the economy was now back on track and the government had no excuse not to fulfill its promise.

UKCS is demanding implementation of the final payment along with a commuter allowance of between shs.3000 and shs.6000 for civil servants in job groups A to L.

It is also calling on the government to implement the new hardship allowance ranging between shs.5000 and shs.10, 000 across all job groups in the civil service.

Odege called on the union's branch officials countrywide to mobilize their members in readiness for a strike come next Friday if the government fails to honour its pledge.

He said the union had complied with the law as it sent a notice of its intention to call the strike on June 16 with a deadline of June 30.

He urged members not to be intimidated by anybody when they are called upon to down their tools.

He said it was a pity that the government had, in fear of the junior civil servants going on strike directed all the District Commissioners to conduct roll calls on all the departments in their areas of jurisdiction.

He said it was wrong for the government to harass its members on the issue of honouring performance contracts while it neglected their welfare.