Removal of city workers not in medical scheme from payroll irks union
By Maureen Kinyanjui |
The union urged the county government to prioritise proper staff supervision and avoid using medical scheme biometric registration as a guise for a headcount.
The Kenya County Government Workers Union has raised the alarm over reports of Nairobi County employees being removed from the payroll for failing to participate in a biometric registration into a staff medical scheme.
The union has termed the directive as illegal and discriminatory, calling for immediate action to reverse the decision and avert potential industrial unrest.
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In a letter addressed to the county secretary, the union, through its secretary Calvince Okello, revealed that some of the affected employees had legitimate reasons for missing the registration, including authorised absence, illness, and terminal leave.
Others attempted to register but were excluded due to technical issues or incomplete records.
"The employees were also never adequately sensitised on this exercise, as some had assumed that having recently registered for ID card issuance or at health facilities was sufficient," reads the letter dated November 27, 2024.
Discrimination
The union accused the county government of targeting junior staff members while sparing executive officers who also failed to register.
"This is outright discrimination," the union stated, highlighting the unfairness of the directive.
The statement further noted that the law and the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) mandate employers to provide medical insurance but do not compel employees to enrol in the employer-provided medical scheme.
"A medical scheme registration exercise cannot be used to terminate an employee's contract," the union asserted.
The union pointed out that removing employees from the payroll amounts to termination, which requires adherence to due process under the Employment Act (2007) and the Collective Bargaining Agreement (2012).
"Striking off staff from the payroll, thereby denying them salaries, amounts to dismissal from employment. Due process as provided for in law under Part VI of the Employment Act and Section 29 of the CBA must be followed. Therefore, any directive to strike off the said employees is an illegality and a nullity," the union stated.
The union urged the county government to prioritise proper staff supervision and avoid using medical scheme biometric registration as a guise for a headcount.
"It's our view that the county government should put measures in place to ensure proper staff supervision without resorting to such activities. We trust you will immediately take the necessary, quick, and urgent action to avert legal and industrial action," the union warned.
Efforts to reach Acting Akumali were futile as he did not respond to the messages by the time of publishing this article.
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