Services at Nairobi County Government were paralysed for the third day in row as city workers downed their tools protested against non-implementation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) signed in 2017 between them and the SRC.
The workers instead held a procession to Parliament as they sought the help of MPs to compel the Salaries and Remunerations Commission (SRC) to issue a letter of no objection to allow the county honour the CBA and implement it.
They then proceeded to the Treasury where Nairobi City County Workers Union Secretary General Benson Olianga stated that they will not relent in the quest for their rights.
“Our request is that SRC should issue a no objection letter to our CBA that is registered. We are going to force them. Our demand is only one, that the SRC should give a letter of no objection to the County Government of Nairobi,” he stated.
At Parliament, Embakasi East legislator Babu Owino assured them that he would take up the matter in the House for much direction.
“I will hold a meeting with other leaders in Nairobi and urge them to also join this demonstration from tomorrow because your rights are important,” he said.
Workers at the county who are affected stated that they have suffered as a result of the non-implementation of the CBA.
“The CBA issue is not like the nurses’ issue. We collect our own money as City Hall and pay ourselves. SRC is the one refusing to give the go-ahead so that we may be paid our dues,” they said.
When the strike began on Tuesday, Governor Mike Sonko blamed the SRC for rejecting the CBA signed between the county and its 13,000 workers.
He stated that if the SRC gives the go-ahead, the Collective Bargaining Agreement which was signed between the Nairobi Government and county employees, will be implemented as agreed.
The CBA was supposed to take effect from January this year, but due to unforeseen issues, it was delayed which has seen the workers hit the streets.
If fully implemented, the 13,000 county workers would get salary increment of between15 to 28 per cent.