The Kenya Electrical Trades and Allied Workers Union (KETAWU) has issued a strike notice over what it describes as stalled negotiations on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for Kenya Power employees. It warns of far-reaching consequences if workers’ demands are not addressed by the end of February.
KETAWU National General Secretary Ernest Nadome said Kenya Power workers were struggling with the rising cost of living and view the proposed CBA as the only immediate relief available to cushion them.
“We all agree that the economy and inflation are affecting everybody. We have issues of affordable housing, taxation and the levies that are being imposed on us. Kenya Power employees are bearing all that,” Nadome said.
“Our disposable income is completely low. The CBA we negotiated was meant to cushion employees from these harsh economic conditions,” he added.
He noted that while official reports often paint a positive picture of the economy, workers in the energy sector were experiencing a different reality.
“The economy is said to be doing well and inflation is low, but what we are talking about is disposable income. Kenyans do not have money. We don’t have money in our pockets,” he said.
Speaking in Kisumu during the union’s elections, Nadome said the union had reached a firm position and was now putting the government and key state agencies on notice.
“We are sending a message to the government, the Cabinet Secretary, the Public Service Commission, the Salaries, and Remuneration Commission (SRC) and the Head of Civil Service. Come the end of February, if there is no CBA that is going to be implemented, then prepare for a big response. The eventualities will be far-reaching in this country,” he said.
Nadome said the delays in concluding and implementing the CBA have left Kenya Power workers exposed at a time when household expenses continue to rise.
Re-elected as the union’s National General Secretary, Nadome said the financial implications of the proposed agreement were modest compared to the utility’s earnings.
“If you calculate, Kenya Power workers for example are categorised as Class B. We are talking of almost around five billion. It is not really a lot of money,” he said.
“When a company makes Sh34 billion and what you are demanding is a paltry five billion as a yearly increment, that is just a drop in the ocean,” Nadome added.
KETAWU represents workers in the electrical and allied sectors, including key staff involved in power production and distribution.
Nadome said the strike would disrupt electricity services across the country, affecting homes, businesses and public institutions.
However, he insisted that the action could still be avoided if the CBA was concluded and implemented in time.
By Chris Mahandara
