Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary Florence Bore on Wednesday dismissed as personal opinion the proclamation made by her Public Service counterpart Moses Kuria that the government is planning to do away with permanent employment terms for civil servants and place government employees on contract.
Speaking to KBC on the sidelines of the Labour Day celebrations held at Uhuru Gardens, Bore categorically stated that the government had not yet considered such a proposal.
She further stated that her Ministry would not accept the contractual payment agreements as proposed by CS Kuria.
Bore also assured public servants that she would defend their rights if the proposal were to be debated. She further advised government employees not to be anxious asking them to continue working normally without harbouring the fear of losing their jobs.
“ I want to assure Kenyan workers especially those in the Public Service that their jobs are safe and the opinions they heard from my colleague were personal opinions and if anything comes up I will be defending their rights,” stated Bore.
Kuria Proposal
While making the controversial remarks, CS Kuria held that all public servants including cleaners should not be hired on permanent terms.
The proposal, as fronted by Kuria is expected to reduce the wage bill which the government has described as a ticking time bomb since it gobbles up a huge chunk of public revenues.
However, the proposal is yet to be deliberated with the government yet to issue a way forward on the same.
Defending Workers
Further speaking on the rights of workers, Bore noted that the Ministry of Labour was working towards ratifying conventions made by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
Conventions 190 and 191, seek to establish safe working environments and ensure that workplaces are free of harassment.
Following the move to ratify the conventions, the government was in negotiations with the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE) and the Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) to implement them.
During the labour celebrations, President William Ruto issued a directive to Bore asking her to convene a meeting with relevant stakeholders and hold discussions towards potentially increasing the minimum wage for public servants by 6%.
