The Salaries and Remuneration Commission’s (SRC) plans to abolish Civil servant’s allowances might hit the rock. This is after Civil servants threatened court action should the move go on.
The Union of Kenya Civil Servants (UKCS) opposed plans by SRC to scrap or merge most of the 149 allowances to address a ballooning public wage bill that stands at more than Sh700 billion yearly.
On Wednesday, SRC chair Lyn Mengich said the commission had started reviewing the multiple allowances paid to 750,000 public servants and that some would be abolished, others restructured, harmonised, retained or renamed.
Yesterday, UKCS Secretary General Tom Odege said any attempt to reduce or remove allowances paid to civil servants would be illegal. He said such a move would be challenged through labour relations court.
Odege said SRC did not have powers to alter allowances without involving the union through negotiated agreements filed in court.
“(Ms) Mengich has to come and agree with us whether to increase, reduce or retain some allowances. She cannot dictate what the workers should earn,” said Odege.
Odege denied that civil servants were paid 149 allowances, saying the figure was far-fetched and exaggerated to put civil servants in negative limelight.
“It is not possible that we have 149 allowances. It is far-fetched and we don’t have anything of that kind,” said Odege.
He challenged Mengich to take her time to acquaint herself with the allowances of civil servants before waging a war she was likely to lose.“In fact, we are asking for an increase in house allowance,” said Odege.
According to SRC, only hardship, housing, leave and subsistence allowances were guaranteed.Separately, the Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu) has said SRC must consult civil servants before any pay review.
“Since civil servants have not given any consent for reduction of their allowances, nor have their representative unions, the SRC proposal is null and void,” said Cotu Secretary General Francis Atwoli yesterday.
Atwoli, who is attending Global Industrial Relations Oversight Board (Giro) meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, said any review of allowances paid to civil servants would be unconstitutional and a violation of workers’ rights.
“SRC should first address payment disparities in the civil service, address cases of those who are underpaid or overpaid for the same roles,” he said.
According to Atwoli, SRC plays an advisory role and should not be used by the Government to demoralise workers by slashing their allowances.
“We shall work with the union representing the civil servants to make sure SRC does not incapacitate any workers through uninformed procedures,” Atwoli said.