The Communication Workers Union (COWU) in Kenya has held a national strike, on Monday 27 October, stopping all operations at the Postal Corporation of Kenya (PCK), as more than 2,000 employees downed their tools in protest over unpaid salaries stretching beyond six months.
Speaking during the launch of the industrial action, Secretary General Benson Okwaro decried what he termed as ‘blatant injustice and gross neglect’ of employees who have continued to serve the public under deplorable conditions without remuneration.
Okwaro said the union would not call off the strike until every shilling owed to staff is paid in full.
He accused both the management of the Postal Corporation and the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy of turning a deaf ear to the cries of workers despite repeated pleas for intervention.
Okwaro stated: ‘We shall not relent. Our members have endured untold suffering for half a year without a single penny. This strike will persist until all pending dues are cleared and justice is served.
‘It is unconscionable that in a country that prides itself on promoting social justice, government employees are subjected to such indignity and despair,’ he added.
The strike has disrupted mail and courier services across Kenya, and according to COWU, the action will continue indefinitely until a concrete solution is reached.
COWU has further hinted at mobilising solidarity from other trade unions under the Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) should the stalemate persist — a move likely to amplify the crisis within the communication sector.
The Postal Corporation of Kenya, once a profitable state agency has in recent years grappled with declining revenues and mounting debts.
Hundreds of workers have already lost their jobs which has made it struggle even more.
Okwaro reaffirmed that the union remains steadfast in defending the dignity and welfare of all communication workers, stating that fair pay and respect for labour rights are non-negotiable.
Other public sector trade unions and civil society groups from both the national and county governments in Kenya demanded a halt to ongoing and future privatisation plans in the energy, water and waste management sectors.
They want the two levels of government, development partners to immediately cease all privatisation efforts and engage with them in ‘good faith to build people-centred public services that uphold dignity, equity and sustainability.’
In a joint press conference, the Kenya County Government Workers Union (KCGWU), Union of Kenya Civil Servants (UKCS), Kenya Union of Commercial Food and Allied Workers and Kenya Electrical Trade and Allied Workers Union (KETAWU) and the Forum for Good Governance and Human Rights, Kariobangi Social Justice Centre and Nakuru County Civil Society Forum said that they would organise strike action unless the change was made.
They stated: ‘We want immediate suspension of all ongoing and proposed privatisation initiatives in the water, energy and waste sectors, including public-private partnerships (PPPs), concessions and management contracts.
‘We demand a commitment to a moratorium on any future privatisation attempts.
‘This includes establishing a minimum lifeline quota of essential services, for example in water and basic electricity, provided free or at a subsidised rate for all households, particularly in low-income areas.
‘We want a guarantee of fair wages, comprehensive benefits and safe working environments, aligning all practices with International Labour Organisation (ILO) standards. Prevent and reverse outsourcing, casualisation and the use of precarious contracts that undermine labour protection, degrade service quality and weaken collective bargaining power within the essential services sectors.’
Elsewhere, South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) on Monday called for an end to privatisation and to renationalise all utilities that have been sold off.
The trade union federation said in a statement: ‘(SAFTU) notes with deep concern the announcement by Transport Minister Barbara Creecy inviting private partners to invest in South Africa’s passenger rail system.
‘While the government frames this as a ‘modernisation’ drive, it is in fact another step in the privatisation of public transport under the Operation Vulindlela agenda, the same neoliberal programme driving the concessioning of ports, harbours, electricity generation, and water infrastructure.
‘South Africa’s working class does not need profit-driven operators in control of its public goods. It needs a safe, reliable, affordable, and fully public transport system that connects workers from homes to workplaces, schools, hospitals, and communities. Instead of reinvesting in PRASA and rebuilding state capacity, government is once again outsourcing responsibility to private capital.
‘This path has already shown disastrous results:
‘Eskom’s so-called restructuring has led to soaring tariffs and prepaid systems that punish the poor while guaranteeing profits for Independent Power Producers.
‘The Gautrain, a heavily subsidised project, has become a symbol of elitist mobility luxurious for a few, unaffordable for the majority.
‘Ports and freight concessions under Operation Vulindlela have prioritised commercial interests over national development and working-class needs.
‘Privatisation will make public goods unaffordable.
‘Privatisation of essential infrastructure inevitably leads to cost recovery through user fees, not social investment.
‘When profit becomes the motive, service quality for the poor declines and fares increase to satisfy shareholders.
‘This model has failed across the world, from London’s privatised rail system to African water PPPs that collapsed under debt and inefficiency.
‘South Africa’s rail system should be rebuilt as a strategic public asset, fully funded and managed in the public interest. Instead of inviting private investors, government must:
1. Invest directly in PRASA and fix vandalised infrastructure;
2. Re-employ skilled rail workers and insource all maintenance and security functions;
3. Integrate commuter rail, bus, and taxi systems under a single publicly-controlled, subsidised transport network;
4. Reinstate the state’s planning and technical capacity eroded by austerity and outsourcing;
5. Redirect Operation Vulindlela resources into public ownership and democratic control, not private enrichment.’
- The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) said on Monday that it joins the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) in calling for the defence of democracy, constitutionalism and the rule of law in Zimbabwe.
The ZCTU’s call comes after the resolution taken at the recent Conference of ZANU PF, the ruling party of Zimbabwe, to call for the extension of the term of the incumbent President, Emmerson Mnangagwa.
ZCTU made it clear that this is an affront to democracy, good governance and respect for the sanctity of public office.
‘COSATU expresses unwavering solidarity with the workers and people of Zimbabwe in their efforts to defend democracy, advance constitutionalism and ensure good governance.
‘To that extent, COSATU as part of the Southern African Trade Union Coordinating Council (SATUCC) family and the broader international trade union movement remains a key part of the struggle for democracy, social justice, accountability and end to corruption and abuse of public office.
‘COSATU emphasises the point that the struggles of the workers of Zimbabwe are firmly intertwined with our collective struggles as the workers of the region, and given the role we play we cannot be silent when the advances we have made as a region are being undermined, and workers gains are eroded.
‘Indeed, an injury to one is an injury to all.
‘It is for that reason that as the progressive trade union movement of the region, we remain actively seized with the democratic development of our region and to advance social changes to the conditions of our people.
‘The biggest threat to our region is those individuals who go to lengths to tear apart constitutions and democratic norms to stay in power for self-interest, thus sacrificing national progress, justice and good governance.’
