Nairobi County staff down tools over government failure to meet grievances
Nairobi County Government workers yesterday downed their tools over what they termed as unwillingness by Governor Johnson Sakaja to address their grievances.
Among the issues cited by the union include failure to complete the promotion of all eligible staff, unwillingness to finalize their Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiation, perennial electricity disconnections, and intermittent National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) medical cover due to failure to pay premiums and remit monthly deductions.
Members of the public who had arrived at the City Hall Annex to seek services were stranded because some offices were locked while others had no workers.
Kenya County Government Workers Union (KCGWU) Nairobi branch secretary general Feastus Ngari accused the county of being reluctant and not taking their plight seriously. “We are invisible before our employer. Our demands have never been fulfilled, only empty promises,” he said.
“The issue of persistence salary delay must end and the impunity facing statutory deductions must be addressed.”
Failed to honour
Mike Ochieng a worker in Nairobi said the county government has persistently failed to honour its commitments and obligations with the perennial delays compounding the suffering of their members.
He said that Nairobi residents will not get services until the workers’ demands are met.
“This administration has failed despite having several dialogues with them. We now demand what is rightfully ours,” Ochieng said.
Ochieng said that the workers union is about to lose hope with the administration of the governor which has been taking them around through quarterly meetings.
The workers said that promotion in the county has not been done after many years yet some of them have attained more experience and qualifications.
“Workers who have had enough experience to enable them to move from one junior level to a higher senior level, it has not been handled,” said Ochieng.
According to them, the County Public Service Board had responded that paperwork is what has delayed their promotion. Ochieng said that the revised 2012 (CBA) was to address the issue of terms and conditions of employees within the county as well as solve the problem of having three payrolls with one employer.
