A number of employees from the Postal Corporation of Kenya famously known as POSTA, has gone on strike to protest against persistent salary delays.
The General Post Office, Mombasa employees said they have grappled with five months of uncertainty and financial strain and are now demanding swift resolution and prompt payment.
They claimed that despite issuing a 21-day notice, no action was taken by the management to resolve the matter.
The Communication Workers Union Branch Secretary, Brian Odera said that the employees had several reasons to go on strike, salary delay being the main.
Odera said that this delay has led to frustration among the company’s workforce which has resulted in severe financial hardships for many of them, affecting their ability to meet basic living expenses, cover their rent and support their families.
He added that employees have been receiving endless threats of sacking from the management regarding the strike despite giving the 21-day notice.
“We have gone for five months without pay, we are unable to sustain ourselves, our kids have been sent out of school for fees, and some of us have already been locked out of our houses due to accumulated rent arrears,” Odera said.
Odera also said that pension is another reason they are striking, claiming that for almost five years, their pension money has not been submitted to the pension schemes.
“We are not threatening anybody; we are pleading for our right of salary as employees,” Odera concluded.
The Shop Steward, Mombasa Branch, Violet Ngare said that the employees have never failed to report to work and diligently carry out their duties despite the 5-month salary delay.
Ngare said that they have also lost some of their colleagues to stress caused by the hardships they are facing.
She also said that some employees have received ‘vacation of office’ letters due to failing to report to work because of being locked out of their houses by their landlords.
The employees went on to plead with the Government to streamline the management of the Corporation.
They also outlined their list of demands that included, immediate payment of all overdue salaries and bonuses, a commitment from management to ensure timely and consistent payroll processing, transparency in financial matters that will disclose the company’s financial health and the reasons behind the salary delays.
The management is yet to issue an official statement regarding the strike.
Postal Corporation of Kenya was established by an Act of Parliament (PCK Act 1998) and operates as a commercial public enterprise.
The Corporation’s mandate includes provision of accessible, affordable and reliable postal services to all parts of Kenya as a public postal whereby communication through the post office forms part of the basic human right as is enshrined in the 1948 United Nations Charter.
