Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary-General Francis Atwoli has warned employers across the country over what he termed continued failure to implement agreed salary adjustments and comply with labour agreements, saying workers are being denied their rightful earnings despite signed commitments.

Speaking on Saturday, April 18, 2026, during the COTU shop stewards’ meeting in Nairobi, Atwoli accused the Federation of Kenyan Employers (FKE) and other private sector stakeholders of deliberately delaying the implementation of Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs), arguing that many employers sign wage agreements but fail to honour them on time.

He said this has left thousands of workers struggling to cope with rising living costs, inflation, and economic pressure without corresponding salary adjustments.

The union boss said delayed wage reviews have become a recurring problem, with some employers taking years before implementing negotiated salary increments, often only doing so after sustained pressure from workers and unions.

“We do not want employers to attend our meetings or Labour Day celebrations without invitation because they do not care about our interests and often delay implementing agreements,” Atwoli said.

“They even try to shortchange the government by trading using shell companies so that they can fail to pay taxes. That is very unacceptable.”

He warned that employers who continue to disregard labour agreements risk being locked out of the 2026 Labour Day celebrations scheduled for May 1, 2026,  in Vihiga County.

The event is expected to be presided over by President William Ruto, with workers’ unions planning to use the platform to push for better wages and improved working conditions.

Atwoli further accused some employers of excluding trade unions from key decision-making forums, despite benefiting from union-organised engagements. He maintained that such exclusion undermines social dialogue and weakens industrial relations in the country.

He also raised concerns over claimed ax evasion practices within the private sector, claiming that some companies use shell entities to under-declare income and evade tax obligations, thereby affecting national revenue collection and public service delivery.

His remarks come at a time when pressure is mounting on the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) following renewed wage demands from public sector workers.

Civil servants from 19 independent commissions, represented by the Kenya Independent Commissions Workers Union (KICWU), are demanding salary increases of between 20 and 50 per cent, citing economic hardship and delayed salary reviews.

The union has issued a 14-day ultimatum for the government to initiate negotiations, warning that failure to do so could trigger heightened labour tensions across key public institutions.