Cotu boss Francis Atwoli has chided the National Police Service Commission for recommending lower salaries for officers.
In a statement on Sunday, the Secretary General noted the decision
is against dictates of the International Labour Organization convention on the protection of wages.
Atwoli said the service is not allowed to
review salaries downwards without consulting employees.
"A unilateral decision to reduce salaries amounts to an unfair labour practice contrary to Article 41 of the Constitution. Further, Section 10(5) of Employment Act, 2007 makes it mandatory for an employer to consult an employee where there is any change to the particulars of employment," he said.
He asked
Interior CS Fred Matiang'i to urgently intervene to save the officers from intimidation.
NPSC CEO Joseph Onyango is said to have written to IG Joseph Boinett on
March 7 proposing the stoppage of additional payments and the reversal of tax exemptions, benefits of salary adjustments and variations based on disability.
The letter also stated that police offices should acquire
additional education certificates (degrees).
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Atwoli said the officers are suffering
due to loans, mortgages and other needs.
He said the commission led by Johnstone Kavuludi cannot recommend salary adjustments and later on cancel then without notice.
"It is illegal and unacceptable to reduce salaries. What the government is doing is not procedural and in accordance with laws," he said.
The workers' union boss noted that income standards setting are a responsibility of the government which is always deemed right as its decisions are well-researched and impacts assessed.
He said that as such, the government cannot employ double standards when it comes to police.
"The government shall never harass police though wages. Reducing their salaries is equal to punishment. The police are doing a good job under extremely difficult conditions, yetinstead of rewarding them, the NPSC wants to deny them their basic rights," he said.
"Cotu is opposed to the cancellation by NPSC. [Matiang'i should urgently] stop this nonsense being perpetuated by people who do not understand local and International laws."
Last Friday, a court temporarily suspended the directive to reduce the salaries of police officers who have acquired university degrees.
Labour court judge Byram Ongaya gave two police officers the go-ahead to file for orders to prohibit their chairman and the IG from implementing the directive.
Ayub Mathenge and Oscar Misiko, through their lawyer Albert Simiyu, moved to court for orders stopping the respondents from reducing their salaries by over 46 per cent.
They said the intended reduction will leave them and other graduate officers in pecuniary embarrassment as they will be unable to service loans taken on the basis of the new salaries.
"The intended reduction in earning would cause officers to default in payment of rent, school fees for their children among other financial obligations," said the police officers.
The petitioners added that the commission acted in
bad faith and with improper motive and unfairness.