Government signing of CBA with unions is good news

Government signing of CBA with unions is good news for all civil servants.

The Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for the 2021–2025 cycle was formally signed this morning in Nairobi by representatives of the government and the Kenya Union of Civil Servants.

The event’s moderator, Mr. Amos Gathecha, the senior secretary of the State Department for Public Service, emphasised the significance of working with trade unions to develop CBAs that are advantageous to public employees. Within the public service, the goal is to promote favourable labour relations and avoid strikes.

Gathecha emphasised that many CBAs had been signed by diverse public sector institutions at both the national and county government levels as a result of the prior fragmented approach to collective bargaining agreements, which lacked a uniform negotiating body and structure.

These contracts frequently differed from accepted standards and terms of employment for employees, which led to disparities in salary and benefits, delays in negotiations, labour disputes, and interruptions in the delivery of public services.

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A framework to standardise and direct collective bargaining agreements in the public service has been established by the State Department for Public Service in partnership with pertinent governmental agencies in order to address these difficulties.

The terms and conditions of the CBA with the Kenya Union of Civil workers (UKCS), comprehensive health and life insurance plans for civil workers, and the creation of a payroll management strategy to provide a manageable wage cost for the public sector are some of the main areas of focus.

Gathecha stated that as part of the CBA, the negotiation process covering wages, benefits, relations between employers and employees, leave rights, medical coverage, and termination of employment was effectively concluded. Ksh 1,135,408,744 has been set up in the budget for this CBA, and it will go into effect on July 1st, 2023.

Beginning on July 1st, 2024, the second phase will be funded with Kshs. 1,126,486,162. Budgets of Kshs. 115,071,472 for the first phase and Kshs. 223,694,412 for the second phase of the house allowance review have also been approved by the Salaries Review Commission.