Letters

LETERS: Casual contracts hurting local labour sector

jobs

Jobseekers in Nairobi. FILE PHOTO | NMG

The casualisation of the workforce in the public sector and partly in private sector is now hurting the labour workforce in Kenya since there is no clear policy framework.

Its hurting industrial harmony and eating into the labour force as well the trade unions who are championing for the welfare of workers and labour issues.

In the recent past, the vice is now rising with both government ministries, state corporations as well parastatals are now employing on contract to evade the government freeze on employment that was imposed in 2015.

The worry is that some of these people employed on contract are given better packages and well remunerated at the expense of the permanent staff. This is demoraliSing and affecting the level of productivity of the staff hence affecting the overall organisational performance.The nation has been treated to the war of words and might when the government imported Cuban doctors to Kenya, they are in country on contract, well and better paid at the detriment of the local doctors.

Doctors unions have complained and even called for an all round table discussion where the country imports the Cuban approach and not the doctors. It never was.

The Cuban doctors are good; no one can dispute but the benefits outweigh even what they are getting back in their country. They get a full furnished house, transport or vehicle and gross benefits whereas our doctors are not offered half that including non-implementation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

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Secondly, the hotly issue of the Chinese and foreigners doing what Kenyans can do better, this is the epic of casualisation of labour.

Contracting is aiding growth of corruption in the sense that kickbacks flow left-right and center where for even a small job, an organization will contract to a firm because he/she understand the “cut” will follow. On the workforce, it is clear that qualified Kenyans will not be employed hence affect the national revenue where the company offering the service will pay tax but the effect if Kenyans are permanently employed is not the same.

Trade unions as social partners on the issues of industrial relations and labour should be deeply involved when outsourcing, contracting because this issue directly affects them and their members.

This vice mostly affects the unionisable staff whose professions are at risk hence labour organisations must be empowered and defend the rights of workers and tame the employer smartness in infusing this vice at the workplace.

Unions need to champion a policy based framework going forward on how to contract labour to able to supplement the government freeze on employment that has increased the contractual uptake.

Christopher Okinda, public relations expert and Ketawu official, Nairobi.