• Unions says workers will return to work upon payment of salaries
• Union declares it will not consent to members' payroll being transferred to an "illegal" institution in reference to a court declaration that there was no instrument establishing the NMS.
Operations in the capital have been paralysed as workers at the County Government of Nairobi continue with their strike over delay payment of salaries.
Operations in the capital have been paralysed as workers at the County Government of Nairobi continue with their strike over delay payment of salaries.
They had issued a seven-day strike notice through the Kenya County Government Workers Union (KCGWU) as they the vowed to down their tool upon failure by the Nairobi Metropolitan Service and County Government of Nairobi to address their issues.
Although the strike officially started on Tuesday, the workers today assembled along City Hall Way chanting whiled demanding for their pay.
They made their way to the cash office at City Hall which remained closed since morning.
The workers have been camping outside the office and City Hall hoping they will be addressed by the County Government.
The Union’s Nairobi Branch Secretary-General Boniface Waweru said that they resulted to go on strike since both NMS and City Hall did not attempt to reach out to them.
“As a union, we have made efforts to reach out to both entities but since it was not a success, we had no option than to go on strike. We had already issued a notice,” he said.
The unions stated that the strike will only be called off once its workers are paid July and August salaries.
“We also have responsibilities, bills to pay and to adjust to life amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. And we cannot attend to all these without our salaries,” Waweru added.
The workers were also against the plan by the NMS to take over their payroll from City Hall.
The union had noted it will not consent to members' payroll being transferred to an "illegal" institution.
This was in reference to a declaration by the Employment and Labour Relations court a few months ago that there was no instrument establishing the NMS.
Justice Hellen Wasilwa declared the Deed of Transfer of Functions executed between the national government and the county government irregular.
She ruled that the deal signed at State House in February was not approved by the county assembly and was as such unlawful.
Waweru said that even if the Mohamed Badi-lead team was regularised, it has a lifespan of only two years.
He saw no reason for the NMS to take over the payroll, maintaining that doing so will cause distortion, inconsistencies and loss of benefits to union members.
NMS maintained that since functions the core functions such as health, transport, public works and ancillary services are under its jurisdiction, it should be the one paying the seconded workers.
However, the county government argued that the NMS was not an employer but an entity created to implement some functions on behalf of the county.
As such, the employer - the County Public Service Board - has the responsibility to process and pay the workers.