Posta employees go without salaries for four months, COTU asks Ruto to intervene
The Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu) has asked President William Ruto to intervene in the welfare of employees at the Postal Corporation of Kenya, known as Posta.
The union indicated Posta workers had not been paid for the past four months, creating financial challenges at a time when schools are reopening and parents are required to pay school fees, amongst meeting other needs.
In a press statement released on August 31, 2023, Cotu Deputy Secretary General Benson Okwaro said the financial challenges at Posta, which reportedly commenced in 2020, have affected the capacity of the workers to discharge their duties effectively.
“There have been problems in this organization to the effect that salaries have not been paid to our staff in good time. We’ve been struggling as a union to see that they are been paid on good time but our efforts have not borne fruits.
The staff has gone without salaries since May 2023.
“The only person who can help is President Ruto. I want to make a special plea to him to get out of his way and force the creditors of the Postal Corporation of Kenyan to pay the money.”
Posta mainly engages in logistics business with government departments, earning millions of shillings in the process.
In the past year, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) signed a Sh700 million contract with Posta to transport election materials across the country ahead of the 2022 polls.
“Postal Corporation of Kenya has done business with people in government and they are owed nearly Sh3 billion which is enough to pay the corporation workers for a whole year.”
Mr Okwaro believes the President can use his powers to ensure creditors release money to the company to ensure that workers get their money.
“This is a special plea to the Head of State, kindly assist the employees at the Postal Corporation of Kenya…they are not looking for any free money. They are looking for money from services offered.”
Accordingly, the union lauded the move by ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo to name Mr John Tonui as the new Postmaster-General.
Mr Tonui was appointed in February 2023 after serving as the institution’s Human Resource General Manager.
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