Writes Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City.
The on going strike by thousands of workers in the tea industry need to be resolved with utmost speed as it poses the danger of hurting the country’s economy.
About 19,000 workers in the tea plantation and factories downed their tools on the 10thh of October so far both sides of the stakeholders comprising of the Kenya Union of Plantation Workers and the Tea Growers Association are adamant to make any meaningful move that could lead to the issues involved being resolved amicably.
The issue in hand is the introduction of mechanized tea plucking system involving the use of machine instead of the normal manual picking by workers. The Union claims that since the introduction of these machines about five years ago close o 21,000 workers have been declared redundant and sacked.
In the two previous agreement signed by the workers and employers officials, it was previously agreed that the tea plucking machine would be introduced only at only three per cent and the rest be done manually.
At the meting attended by 500 strong shop-stewards, branches officials and national official of the union led by the Secretary-General Francis Atwoli defiantly announced that the strike will go on until the employers agree to come to the negotiation table so that the issue could be negotiated afresh. The meeting was held at the Tom Mboya Labor College in Kisumu City.
Atwoli was accompanied by the Union Assistant Secretary General Thomas Kipkemboi, the National Treasurer Joshua Oyuga, Isa Wafula, Kericho branch secretary Joshua Owuoir, Sotik branch secretary David Belil.
The workers representatives had travelled from all the tea growing zones of Nyamira, Nandi Hills, Tinderet, Sotik, Kaimosi, Bomet and Kericho who were led by their branch secretaries and other officials.
Atwoli who is also the Secretary General of the workers umbrella body , the Central Organization of Trade Unions of Kenya {COTU.K} warned that if the strike continue to escalate, he would not hesitate from calling the General Council of COTY {K} to declare national strike in Kenya . He said in such an event, the workers in other sub-sectors of the economy would be called upon to go on strike in solidarity with the workers in the tea industry.
The COTU boss also threaten to move to Geneva and consult world trade union bodies such as ICFTU and WTC to lobby for international workers action. In such a situation the workers world-wide, especially those working in major ports of the world to stop or boy cot the handling of Kenya’s tea destined for exports to the world market, and this would paralyzed the industry in Kenya and bring the big headed employers down to their knees.
But despite of the union tirades, the employers in the tea industry remained adamant and reiterated that the strike by the manual tea pickers which is in its second week will not stop multinational tea companies from using the machines despite the union threat to push the international market to boy-cot Kenyan tea.
Tea is one of the biggest assets for Kenya supporting thousands of families who work in the industry and fetching million of the much needed foreign exchange.
The situation appear to worsen at the weekend as the employers and workers union stuck to their grounds – only agreeing to negotiate if either sides meet some conditions.
The Federation of Kenya Employers {FKE} representing the companies issued a statement lon Saturday evening saying the strike by the workers will no top the mechanized tea picking, but added that negotiations can only begin if the strike is called off.
Both sides had moved to court and filed injunctions. The KTGA had earlier moved to court and obtained court injunction stopping the strike, but the union was not served with the court paper. It also came late after the strike was in actual effect going on. The union, however, moved to the Industrial Court a day later and obtained injunction prohibiting the employers from victimizing he striking workers by evicting from their companies houses or cutting water supplies
The FKE executive director Jacquiline Mugo said the Kenya Plantation and Agricultural Workers Union had called the strike without following due process.
But speaking in Kisumu last night Atwoli said the union had exhausted all the laid down legal channel and gave the employers a seven days notice of strike as required by the law. He said the workers through the International Trade Union Organizations, will push buyers in the international market to boycott Kenyan tea. He maintained the move would force the multinational companies operating in Kenya to back down on the move to introduce mechanized tea harvesting system.
Atw9li blasted the MPs from the tea growing zone for not showing interest and sympathy with the workers plight, though these are the electorate in their respective constituencies. “These MPs only sneaking and trooping into the offices of the multinational tea company soliciting for bribes and lucrative businesses, but were doing nothing to assist the down trodden workers.”
He also issue a threat to expose one top government official in a Ministry has recently bribed some hooligans who moved to Court demanding for his removal from COTU{K}. The man is afraid because I knew too much about his shoddy financial deals and corruption, which I am just about to expose to the world. He warned the Minister in-charge of the Ministry who is keeping the same corrupt official in his office that he too would be exposed as an accomplice of this corrupt official.
Atwoli announced that he would tomorrow {Monday} toured the striking workers zones in Nandi region and Kericho, Bomet and Sotik region and told the shop-stewards to ensure that the strike is 100 per cent everywhere.
He said since the strike is yet to be declared illegal and government is keeping quiet, the use of the crack police unit the GSU and the regular police to intimidate the workers or evict them from their houses is illegal and must stop forthwith. It is also against human right to evict somebody who is legally on strike demanding for his rights out of the company house.
He had received disturbing reports that some employers in Nyamira, Sotik and Tinderet had deployed the police in the estate camps who were forcefully evicting the workers from their company houses and locking doors or cutting water supplies to the workers estates. He appealed to the Commissioner of Police to stop these malpractices since the strike is legal and the workers were peaceful observing the laws to the letters.
Workers leaders reported that the strike was almost 100 per cent at the Unilever, but not effective in the James Finlays and other tea estates, and urged the regional union leaders to ensure that all the workers did not report to work on Monday until the employers come to the negotiation table.
Enbds
leooderaomolo@yahoo.com