MUMIAS Municipal Council has lost over Sh12 million during the workers' strike which ended yesterday. The clerk to the council Joshua Kutekha said the local authority generates Sh200,000 every day during the peak period and the six days the workers have been on strike has cost the council close to Sh12 million.

Yesterday, the over 130 employees of the Municipal council of Mumias resumed their normal duties following a directive from the national union officials asking them to go back to work and wait for the court's verdict over their demands.

Employees of local authorities countrywide downed their tools on Thursday last week accusing the minister for Local Government Paul Otuoma for failure to sign the agreed Collective Bargaining Agreement which intended to increase their pay.

The workers union Mumias branch chairman Ibrahim Keya said they received communication from their national secretary saying the commissioner of labour had intervened and the matter had been taken to industrial court.

The lowest paid worker of scale 18 would earn between Sh10,000 and Sh14,000 while the highest paid worker of scale 3 would take home between Sh15,000 and Sh20,000 more if the CBA is honoured.

Kutekha said the council was forced to hire 20 casual workers to help in cleaning the town. "We shall also be forced to seek for more trucks to fetch the litter which is so rampant in the town and its environs. I believe by Saturday, we shall have cleaned the town" he said. Most areas affected by litter according to Kutekha include Mumias town, Camcon estate, Shibale and Ekero shopping centers.