Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary General Francis Atwoli has pleaded with MPs to dismiss bills that continue to propose tax deductions on workers.

Speaking at a funeral in Kakamega county, Atwoli urged Ikolomani MP Bernard Shinali to withdraw the unemployment insurance authority Bill.

According to the drafted Bill, employees who become unemployed or their respective beneficiaries will be able to get salaries.

This will be done through the establishment of an Unemployment Insurance Fund to which both the employer and employee will contribute.

Shinali noted that the bill will cushion the unemployed against harmful socio-economic effects of unemployment.

However, Atwoli said imposing more taxes on workers is hurting their payslips which in return is leaving them empty-handed.

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“I would want to plead with Shinali to abandon anything related to the employment levy because people’s payslips are being deducted heavily. We don’t have anything left on our payslips,” Atwoli said.

“If we have not yet become economically viable as a country we cannot be able to grow our economy. Kenya Kwanza is now putting a mechanism into place to see whether it can spur economic growth. But before that let us not add another burden to Kenyans.”

Since the passage of President William Ruto Finance Act 2023, employees in the formal sector have been making a monthly contribution of 3 per cent to the Housing Fund since July 1.

The levy is payable by the employee and employer at a rate of 1.5 per cent each.

Central Organisation of Trade Unions – Kenya (COTU-K) said yesterday it would seek legal interpretation of the mandate of the Salaries and Remuneration Commission. Secretary General Francis Atwoli said Kenya has a progressive Constitution which gives workers the right to collective bargaining. “COTU-K is taken aback by the move by SRC to proceed with the much-opposed Remuneration and Benefits of State and Other Public Officers Regulations 2022,” Atwoli said in a statement.

He accused SRC of collecting views from the public only for it to disregard their concerns and comments. “That is in character with many government institutions, whereby public participation is done as a constitutional formality rather than for purposes of collecting the views of the public and other contributors,” he added.

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He said SRC wanted to interfere with freely negotiated Collective Bargaining Agreements in contravention of Article 41 of the Constitution and Labour Relations Act Section V and ILO Conventions 87 on the right to organise and to collective bargaining. “If the Commission does not revert to its advisory role, as stipulated in the constitution, COTU-K, will be forced to move to court to seek a Constitutional interpretation of the mandate of the SRC,” Atwoli said.

Central Organization of Trade Unions, COTU, Secretary General, Mr.  Francis Atwoli, has revealed that he supports Education CS, Prof George Magoha, despite the latter being condemned for publicly insulting a ministry official.

During his interview on KTN News, the COTU boss faulted the Uasin Gishu CDE, Gitonga Mbaka, for not preparing Langas Primary School in an organized manner, ahead of Magoha’s visit.

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“The man appeared not to know anything…whether the CS was coming. During our days, if the CS was coming to your area, all schools would be cleaned a week prior to his visit because you do not know where the CS will end up,” argued Atwoli. “The CS is a direct representative of the President…and the President cannot support indiscipline in schools.”

Atwoli mocked the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) for investigating the incident, terming it unworthy of any serious investigation.

“There must be discipline in our institutions and we must have disciplinarians. When the CS says this is indiscipline…the school is filthy. Some schools have no toilets, are not fenced…classes are not clean…yet that is where we take our children,” Atwoli stated.

Atwoli just joins KNUT in defending the education cabinet secretary. The two unions do not agree with KUPPET over the Langas incident.

KUPPET has demanded an apology from the CS over his disrespectful remarks. Uasin Gishu KUPPET Secretary General Elijah Maiyo questioned the rights of the CS to insult the senior education director.

“We are saddened that the CS, a professor, could insult his fellow civil servant. The conduct of the CS was not expected of him and he should apologize to all the teachers. He should have questioned why the school was in such a state rather than rush to insult an old man,” Maiyo said.

Maiyo threatened the CS that teachers would file a complaint to the human rights department and that they would also cease to accompany him on educational tours, if he fails to apologize to the teachers.

In the video clip, Magoha heaped abuses and chased away Mbaka, blaming him for the untidy state of Langas Primary School.