The Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary General Francis Atwoli has ordered private security companies to immediately comply with the Ksh30,000 minimum wage directive.
Atwoli, in a notice dated December 9, revealed a widespread non-compliance of private security companies in Kenya, noting that out of the 2,000 registered private security firms, only 30 were tax compliant.
He noted that over 800 companies neither complied with the labour laws of the government for the minimum wages for workers nor paid taxes, while 800 others lacked physical business locations.
The COTU boss also raised concerns over the rampant redundancies of workers in the private security sector, further accusing the private security companies of frustrating their employees.
"The bad and unethical practice of not implementing the government's desire for decent pay to the guards is an onslaught, which COTU will not tolerate going forward," Arwoli warned.
"We do hereby write to you this letter as a wake-up call and without delay direct you to comply and pay your private security guards the minimum wage as ordered by the government, which to date remains in limbo," he added.
In his letter to the private security companies, which was copied to Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua, Atwoli called on the CS to take immediate action against all the firms that fail to comply with the directive.
"The leadership of COTU is highly respected in the world of the trade Union movement. It will, therefore, betray and rubbish these gains if we in Kenya do not pursue the quest for sound labour practice that COTU preaches and stands for," Atwoli affirmed.
According to the Kenya National Private Security Workers Union (KNPSWU), there are more than 1.2 million private security officers across the country, yet most of them do not receive the Ksh30,000 minimum wage.
While backing COTU's demand notice, KNPSWU noted that Atwoli's intervention has come at a very critical time when thousands of private security officers face unfair labour practices and rampant underpayment.
"Your call to action clearly demonstrates COTU's commitment to defending the dignity of workers and ensuring that the Government’s wages orders and enabling labour laws are respected," KNPSWU stated.
The latest update comes a year after the High Court upheld the Ksh30,000 security guard wage, dismissing a petition that had been filed by a section of private security companies challenging the decision.
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