Strike season? Nightmare for government as civil servants’ go-slow looms

Government operations could be disrupted in the coming weeks after civil servants threatened to strike if they do not receive a pay rise at the end of the month.

Already beleaguered by a crippling teachers’ strike that is shutting down schools, the Kenya Kwanza administration faces another industrial action by the Union of Kenya Civil Servants (UKCS).

The union representing public service workers resolved their members would boycott work at the end of the month should the government fail to fully implement the second phase of their Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

UKCS delegates, who converged on Nairobi on Monday, resolved to resort to a nationwide strike citing delays in implementing the new pay deal.

Union Secretary General, Odege Tom Mboya, stated that their second demand for salary increment was supposed to be implemented by July this year, but was not reflected in their pay slips following a setback from the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC).

“If our second phase of our CBA is not implemented by this month, all civil servants in the republic of Kenya, as resolved today, will down their tools,” Mr Odege said.

The secretary-general said that he has been mandated by the delegates to issue a seven-day ultimatum by the end of September.

The delegates said that the negotiation period has been overtaken by events following the implementation of the first phase of the CBA, which was signed by both sides and gazetted.

“What we want is money, and that money is rightly ours. This is something that we have waited for four years. The amount we are looking for is minimal, a pocket change for corrupt individuals in this country.”

The union was expected to receive an additional Sh2.7 billion in the second-phase implementation of the agreement, which is now facing obstacles as the government struggles to keep the economy afloat, following the public defeat of the controversial Finance Bill, which saw the government put on hold various projects due to money crunch.

Mr Odege also criticised the government for being selective in honouring demands from various unions, claiming that their issues have been ignored.

“We expect fair treatment. It was very unfair to fulfill the CBA of teachers and neglect the CBA of civil servants. We are not going back to the negotiation table because when the CBA we are asking for was discussed, it was partly implemented.”

Phase Two of their salary increment was expected to include house allowances for the civil servants, who now want the government to backdate to July.

Public Service Cabinet Secretary, Justin Muturi, has been asked to stop any attempt to call for negotiations, and instead start lobbying for money.

“To the civil servants, start spending your money sparingly because there is a tough time ahead of us, which all of you must be ready for because we are ready as your leaders to take you through it.”

In July, SRC Chairperson Lyn Mengich announced the deferment of the implementation of the salary review for all other public officers in the Financial Year 2024/2025 until further notice, which would be determined by the availability of funding.

The threats from the union come against the backdrop of an ongoing strike by the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), which the Teachers Service Commission is struggling to avert.