GOVERNMENT PERSECUTING PRIVATE SECTOR WORKERS
BY BENJAMIN MKODO OCHIENG

WHEN civil servants enjoy hefty salary increment as announced by Public Service Minister Dalmas Otieno, private sector workers rot in pulpit.

This has created worst economic situations to workers in flower firms ,manufacturing industries, construction companies, cleaning firms, security firms, and to mention but a few in the country.

During every May Day, workers throng various Divisional, District and Provincial headquarters not just to celebrate workers day but to listen to President’s speech with a view to review and improve their salaries and working conditions in the country.

Since 2005, the government has never increased workers salaries in the sector making it the poorest in the country, despite containing the majority of working fraternity.

Frequent attempts by workers to use strike forums to express their grievances is always thwarted by Labor Ministry which protects the interest of employers at the expense of citizens.

Even with frequent intervention by COTU Secretary General Francis Atwoli to protect workers wages and guidelines, government has maintained its silence.

Employers then take government protection advantage to humiliate, frustrate or threaten workers for their own gain to bag huge profits.

The sector that boasts is Kenya’s economic back bone to create large employment and hefty tax contributor to Kenya Revenue Authority KRA, has over 3 million workers directly in transport, Security, Agriculture, Tourism, Education, Communication, Health, Trade. Construction,Natural Resources, etc. that are managed by individuals, groups, NGOs and religious bodies such as Christians, Islam, Hindu, Hare Krishna etc.

In may 2008,workers felt let down by President Kibaki who gave a deaf ear to salary increment, few months after poll campaigns when pledges to improve life of common mwananchi was made “staki kusema hiyo, Kenya iko shida kubwa” said Kibaki when responding to jeering workers who demanded that he address the salary issue.

In what is translated as side step by government, workers have witnessed their counterparts get salary increment year after year since Kibaki assumed power after 2007 polls. This evidences that government averts the roll played by private sector workers in economic building of the country.

Nurses opened the strike chapter by threatening to down tools in May. This prompted Medical Services Minister. Prof. Anyang Nyongo announces a whooping kshs 6,000 uniform allowance for medics staffs. Teachers tailed , then a series of Police salary and allowances increment chained before risky allowance . This led to protest by Prison Warders who claimed hosted criminals for long than police. Eventually they smiled after V.P Kalonzo Musyoka announced 5,000 risk allowance, 10,000 for chores provided during past poll violence and unearthed benefit under cap 90 of prisons act.

Now, just three months in the pillars of salary increment saga to civil servants, the boost from Public Service Ministry makes the lowest worker in government offices (office messengers ,sweepers, cleaners, tea girls) take home 11,000 ksh exclusive of medical ,transport,etc allowances. This means, workers take home about 20,000ksh a month.

This creates a big gap between civil servants who lead posh lives and private sector employees who are cash drift in poverty.

Investigations show some workers (maids, gardeners, watchmen, messengers, etc) still earn between 1,200-3,000 per month, which can not pay rent for some people.

Questions linger where money increased to Civil service as salary has come from at this time that government experiences inflation, starvation and economic difficulties.

Then, if Presidents words were true to Kenyans who gave their votes during past polls, then government is blanketing Asian, Arabs, individuals, groups and etc in private sector that boss or provide employment to majority of Kenya’s work force just because of 1 million dinner plate raised by Kibaki in aid of his campaign project at state house as polls came closer in 2007.

There is a need for Labour Ministry, President or Prime Minister to review and announce new salary increment for the forgotten Kenya workers to enable the whole country be part of vision 2030…

ENDS

P O BOX 9117,
KISUMU.
CELL:+254 78636.
Email:benjiochieng@yahoo.com

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Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2008 02:45:47 -0700 (PDT)
From: BENJAMIN OCHIENG
Subject: KENYA GOVERNMENT PERSECUTING PRIVATE SECTOR WORKERS