The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) is set to streamline upward salary review for civil servants and shield state employees from harsh economic times.
SRC is advocating for the introduction of a policy that will require public servants’ salaries and allowances to be reviewed every four years to keep up with the rising cost of living.
The new strategy will aid in filling the vacuum in the salary adjustment system, which lacks a clear timeline, the SRC proposal submitted to parliament states.
Only Heads of State and Members of Parliament are currently eligible for salary increases every four years. However, under the new plan, other government workers would also experience increases in their salaries and allowances every four years.
Presently, civil servants bargain for salary increments through the Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) which are sometimes not honoured.
However, the adoption of the new strategy, contained in the Commission’s proposals, will be guided by the national budget planning cycles.
“The commission shall review and advise on remuneration and benefits for other public officers every four years,” the proposal read in part.
“The commission shall undertake the review taking into account the applicable national budgeting and planning cycles.”
The commission, led by Lyn Mengich, also argued that the new strategy will establish a clear framework and even address cases of industrial action, which typically halt operations.
Currently, the government spends over Ksh830 billion on wages which is slightly more than half of its projected revenue for the fiscal year 2021.
At a time when Kenyans are struggling with the high cost of living, a new strategy proposal has been made. The high price for essential goods has forced many people to go deeper into their pockets in order to survive.
On the other hand, there are no clear guidelines for salary increases in the private sector. Before being implemented, majority of the policies are created by individual Human Resource (HR) desks.
Other workers have unions that negotiate on their behalf such as different teachers’ unions which present their demands to their employer.
