Kenyan Trade Unions Declare Weekly Protests Over High Taxation

By Ebi Kesiena

Trade unions in the Public Service Sector have declared weekly demonstrations every Tuesday to protest against high taxation and other issues which it terms insensitive government attitude towards its employees.

In a statement on Monday, the trade unions expressed displeasure with the government’s plans to change employment terms of workers from permanent to contractual terms, threats to union officials and high taxation.

According to the workers, all government actions against the welfare of the workers will be met with strong resistance considering it’s public servants who are charged with the responsibility of implementing government programmes and policies.

“Any attempts to convert permanent and pensionable terms to contracts [and] bastardise mutually agreed Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) will be resisted at all cost. In view of the above, we demand that all public sector unions join demonstrations every Tuesday until the government complies,” the unions said.

The decree was signed by union officials from the Union of Kenya Civil Servants (UKCS), University Academic Staff Union (UASU), Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) and Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut)

Officials from the Kenya Union of Post Primary Teachers (KUPPET), Kenya Union Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists (KMPDU), Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO), Dock Workers Union (DWU), Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) also signed it.

They said the pronouncement by Public Service Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria that workers’ employment terms will be contractual is a blatant violation of laws governing the labor industry, the Constitution and International Labour Treaties and Conventions which Kenya is a signatory.

“These utterances are likely to cause unnecessary panic, anxiety, low morale and reduced productivity in the public service sector,” the unions said.

They further argue that the 1.5 per cent housing levy and increment of NHIF (SHIF) deductions from a maximum of Sh1,700 to 2.75 per cent of gross pay has rendered workers destitute.

“It’s unfair to base taxation on gross pay part of which is a reimbursement for costs incurred by workers like house allowance,” they said.

The unions maintained that as a precondition for them not to proceed with the weekly protests, the government must stop issuing unilateral threats to public servants and engage union leadership in constructive dialogue under a mutually agreed framework.

They also want the government to respect the sanctity of Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) and in particular, the 2017 CBA signed with doctors who are now on strike demanding its implementation.

The unions are also demanding that the government stops threatening union leaders with the withdrawal of union dues for exercising their mandate of safeguarding members’ interests.