Three mainstream public sector unions on Tuesday gave county governments a week's notice to pay July salaries or be ready for paralysis in the devolved units.
The counties have been hit hard by a cash crunch occasioned by the stalemate over the Division of Revenue Bill, 2019 between the Senate and the National Assembly.
Members of Kenya County Government Workers Union, Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists Union, Union of Kenya Civil Servants and Kenya National Union of Nurses are some of the county workers who will engage in the industrial action.
Addressing a joint press conference, officials Roba Duba (KCGWU), Ouma Oluga (KMPDU), Seth Panyako (Knun) and Tom Odege (UKCS) protested the continued delay of salaries by governors which they noted has caused immense suffering to their members.
Last month, Council of Governors chairman, Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya, said the standoff in Parliament over the Bill that allocates money to the county and national governments, has pushed devolved units to the edge, making it difficult to pay workers on time.
“We are not a party to the dispute between the county and national governments, Ours is that there is a letter of employment and we need salaries, this is not negotiable,” Duba said.
He added, “Unions representing workers in all the county governments maintain that if July salaries are not paid by the due date, we will have no option but to institute a series of industrial actions all over the country to compel counties to pay."
But even as the unions issued the strike notice, the Senate on Tuesday failed to debate the DoRB sent to the House from the National Assembly.
The Bill, which allocates the counties Sh316 billion, was forwarded to the House last Wednesday.
It was expected to come up for the Second Reading on Tuesday. However, it was not slotted in the Order Paper.
Last Thursday, the National Assembly rejected the Senate’s version of the Bill that allocated counties Sh335 billion.
Senators who spoke to the Star on Tuesday intimated that they will accept the National Assembly’s Bill, but will amend the figure to Sh335 billion.
If this happens, the Bill will be sent to a mediation team, a situation that will further worsen the state of affairs in counties.
This will further be complicated by the fact that both Houses are breaking for recess on Thursday.
At the press briefing, Oluga said all county employees will stage a salary parade in the county offices until their demand is complied with.
“This is not about the implementation of CBA or salary increment, this is about the implementation of the contracts. We are not taking any sides in the duel between counties and the national government,” Oluga said.
There are some counties which did not even pay for June salaries. Beginning Tuesday, there will be total paralysis, Oluga said.
Panyako said only counties which shall have paid will be exempted from the joint national strike.
Currently, none of the 47 county governments has paid July salaries with only Nairobi city county expressing willingness to pay.
Edited by R.Wamochie
