The Public Servants Union says it will strongly oppose any attempt by the government to reduce or freeze salary increments for public servants who are union members.
The union has also threatened to sue the government in case it goes ahead to act on the issue.
The union, a splinter group from the Union of Kenya Civil Servants has supported former Prime Minister Raila Odinga over his pension.
The union’s Secretary-General Francis Ngariuku said the Cord leader’s retirement benefits should not be politicised and he should be paid his pension dues like any other retired public servant.
Speaking in Nairobi, the public servants union said it would oppose any attempt by the government or the Salaries and Remuneration Commission to change the salaries of public servants already in service.
BREACH OF CONTRACTS
It stated that the members were employed based on a contract and any alterations would be a breach of the same and would be challenged in court.
Mr Ngariuku said any measure affecting its members’ salaries must be negotiated.
“It is not a walk over for the ministry to think they can cut salaries just like that because there should be proper negotiation between all stakeholders involved in the public service,” Mr Ngariuku said.
The union spoke out following reports of plans by the government to enforce a pay-cut among senior public servants in an effort to reduce to the huge public wage bill.
President Uhuru Kenyatta is on record urging senior government officials to take a 10 per cent pay cut.
There has been concern that many public servants earn a lot more than they deserve in relation to the kind of work they do.
The other concern has been that some public servants earn much more than their colleagues in the same job groups and job description.
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