Civil servants vow to go on strike
Civil servants vow to go on strike. Unions representing civil servants have threatened a statewide strike if the government moves forward with its plan to take 3% of their pay as required contributions to the housing fund.
Employees who are already struggling with the high cost of living, they claimed, will see their payslips get even smaller under the tax as it is now envisaged in the Finance Bill, 2023.
Charles Mukhwana, secretary-general of the Kenya University Staff Union, claimed that the new fee will place an undue strain on public sector employees whose pay has been stagnant for some time despite an increase in the cost of living.
Civil servants vow to go on strike
Despite the fact that a worker’s wage is protected by law and that any deductions from salaries can only be agreed upon by both parties or through negotiation by workers’ representatives, overtaxation continues unabatedly. We demand that Parliament reject the proposed changes in the Finance Bill 2023; in the event that it does not, the public sector trade unions will consider taking legal recourse, including industrial action.
In his defense, he claimed that although the housing fund levy was “purported to be voluntary,” it has been made mandatory and will result in total deductions of 52 percent of an individual’s monthly earnings, with the remaining net 48 percent still being subject to a 16 percent value-added tax on all purchases of items whose costs are constantly rising.
“This will make it difficult for the majority of employees to afford necessities. A public servant who works for the government is effectively a slave since they cannot afford to live a good life. We are really alarmed that none of these taxes have been discussed with us, the workers’ representatives, in accordance with the Constitution.
The unions have also urged that the government cut taxes levied on workers and involve worker’s representatives in the Public Service Sector to chart the way forward in addition to asking parliament to reject the proposed revisions in the finance bill 2023. Additionally, they have urged that any pending Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) be discussed and put into effect as soon as possible by the government.