Multinational tea firms hit as workers stay away

A tea farm in Kijabe. FILE PHOTO | NMG 

By GERALD ANDAE

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Summary

• Kenya Tea Growers Association (KTGA) got a prohibition order from the court but the Kenya Agricultural and Plantation Workers’ Union (KAPWU) says the notice was served when the strike had already started.
• The wage dispute strike entered its third day Wednesday, paralysing picking of green leaves as workers stayed away from the farms.
• KAPWU had issued a seven-day strike notice last week to force implementation of a 30 per cent salary increment awarded by court in 2014.
• Unions says multinationals have since refused to honour the directive of the court and have frustrated talks on the matter.

Multinational firms are counting losses after tea plantation workers’ strike started Thursday despite Labour Court orders issued on Monday stopping the industrial action.

Kenya Tea Growers Association (KTGA) got a prohibition order from the court but the Kenya Agricultural and Plantation Workers’ Union (KAPWU) says the notice was served when the strike had already started.

The wage dispute strike entered its third day Wednesday, paralysing picking of green leaves as workers stayed away from the farms.

KAPWU secretary-general Francis Atwoli says the strike started at midnight of October 17 while the notice was served Thursday, saying workers are within their rights to participate in industrial action.

“We got the notice when the strike was on, the best that KTGA can do is to go back to court and get fresh orders given that this one has been overtaken by events,” said Mr Atwoli by phone Thursday.

READ: Tea workers’ union issues strike notice over pay deal

“We cannot disobey court orders, but they are supposed to be timely and not come when the action is on,” he added. He said he would address workers yesterday in Kericho.

The Labour Relations court on Monday extended the earlier orders prohibiting the strike and ordering the respondent to withdraw a strike notice issued last week.

READ: US company to sell Kenyan specialty tea in America

Mr Atwoli who is also the Secretary-General of the Central Organisation of Trade Unions, said the best that multinationals can do to stop the strike is to reach a return-to-work formula with employees.

KAPWU had issued a seven-day strike notice last week to force implementation of a 30 per cent salary increment awarded by court in 2014.

Unions says multinationals have since refused to honour the directive of the court and have frustrated talks on the matter.