General Post Office (GPO) building located along Kenyatta Avenue. FILE PHOTO | LUCY WANJIRU | NMG
The Postal Corporation of Kenya (PCK) has paid workers Sh435 million in salary arrears, appeasing the restless employees who staged a strike last month over the pay delay.
Postmaster-general and chief executive John Tonui said the corporation cleared the five-month outstanding salary arrears on Wednesday after the State corporation received Sh550 million from the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) early this week.
The Sh550 million is part of the Sh1.7 billion that PCK billed the poll body for services offered during the August 2022 General Election.
“The IEBC disbursed Sh550 million by Monday, December 11, 2023, to the corporation’s account. We expect the balance of Sh500 million to be settled by June 30, 2024,” said Mr Tonui.
“This is the money from which we have slashed Sh435 million to pay the salaries that have been pending in the last five months.”
The delay in the settlement of workers’ pay saw the Communication Workers Union call for a protest that almost paralysed PCK operations.
According to the union, more than 2,500 Posta employees had not been paid for the last five months, adding to the burden of the high cost of living.
Communication Workers Union national treasurer Joseph Rwanjau had threatened that all employees would down their tools and post offices across the country would remain closed until the workers received their dues.
He said the employees were suffering and struggling with house rent and foodstuff for their families due to salary arrears as the corporation struggles with a lack of enough money to cater to its employees.
However, Posta and the workers brokered a deal when the PCK management called the union to the negotiation table and promised to clear their salary arrears by Christmas week, a move that saw the striking employees return to work.
