Labour Day charade as workers left empty-handed amid taxing policies

President William Ruto and COTU Secretary General Francis Atwoli in solidarity during the 59th Labour Day celebrations held at Nairobi Uhuru Gardens on May 1, 2024. [Samson Wire, Standard]

The fact that workers left Uhuru Gardens empty-handed on Labour Day is already well acknowledged. It does not help that President William Ruto missed the opportunity to conclusively address the ongoing labour dispute between the government and healthcare workers. In turn, the labour unions arrived at the negotiations with a begging bowl, placing their fate solely in the hands of what the government was willing to offer. Ironically, even the six per cent pay raise offered was subject to the discretion of a committee to be convened by the Labour Cabinet Secretary.

One might have expected that such a weighty matter, given its importance to the lowly paid cadre of workers and its implications for employers, would have been negotiated beforehand. The President should have issued it as an Executive order, ensuring that the modest increment would be reflected in employees' payroll from May onwards.