Kenya Posta Workers Down Tools Over Unpaid Salaries

 

By Emmaculate Cheruto 

Kenya Posta workers have downed their tools to protest the non-payment of their salaries and the failure by their employer to remit statutory deductions for the past six months.

The Central Regional Branch Secretary of the Communication Workers Union of Kenya (COWU), Solomon Shikanda, said employees will continue to paralyze operations at the Postal Corporation of Kenya until all their dues are settled.

“We have exhausted all avenues, including dialogue, but none seem to be working. Even after performing our duties diligently, we are still not getting paid. So we have said enough is enough. We have decided to down our tools until our salaries are paid in full,” Shikanda stated.

The strike follows the expiry of a strike notice issued by COWU over a month ago, demanding that the government settle a KSh 1.5 billion debt owed to workers.

Last week, COWU Secretary General Benson Okwaro gave the government until October 26 to clear the arrears, warning that members would embark on an industrial action beginning October 27 if their demands were not met.

Shikanda said the prolonged salary delays have subjected Posta Kenya employees to immense suffering, with many reportedly battling depression and financial distress.

“It is not easy for anyone to remain afloat without a salary under the current harsh economic conditions. We have taken debts everywhere, and our creditors are running out of patience. Rent arrears are piling up, feeding ourselves has become a challenge, and some of us have had to ask our children in universities to defer their studies,” he lamented.