Labour CS Ukur Yatani is convinced that the standoff between Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) and striking Nairobi County workers is unnecessary since it lacks the element of disagreement between the two parties.
Kenya County Government Workers Union secretary Benson Olianga indicated that the union received a letter from SRC summoning its officials to appear before the Labour Court on Monday.
The letter indicated that the case would be heard by Justice Maureen Onyango of the Labour Relations Court.
Olianga stated, “As a union, we don't understand it. Currently, there is no case and the reason why SRC has taken us to court is not clear.”
During the first week of the strike, the union met CS Yatani in an effort to resolve the matter with City Hall. The attempt proved unsuccessful.
With the new development of SRC going to court, the union responded by communicating, “As a union, we will go to the court because we want to hear what the SRC says. This is new because I have never heard of an intended interested party in a non-existent case.”
The County workers are striking because their employer, the county government, has failed to implement a salary increment deal that they struck in 2017.
The salary increment deal was set to take effect from January 2019.
The strike of more than 13,000 workers has left operations in various City Hall departments paralysed.
Among those who are on strike are city sweepers, parking attendants, mortuary attendants, cemetery workers, contractors and persons employed to cut grass and unblock drainages.
The workers downed their tools on February 12 and have vowed not to return to work unless their demands of salary increment of between 15 and 28 per cent are met.
Hiking the workers’ pay will cost the county government approximately Ksh100 million.
Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko promised the workers that his administration would honour the deal soon enough while appealing for them to go back to work.
