Threats by Tea Firms to Evict Striking Workers from Estate Houses is Unacceptable

The Kenya Plantation and Agricultural Workers Union, KPAWU is concerned with the latest attempts by tea firms under the umbrella of the Kenya Tea Growers Association, KTGA to evict their employees from their residential houses  allegedly for participating in the on-going  strike within the sector.

These attempts by employers are in total contravention of our validly existing Collective Bargaining Agreement, CBA between KTGA and the Union particularly Clause 17 on vacation of staff quarters which states that nobody shall be evicted from his/her staff house wherever there is a dispute until such a dispute has been reported and determined by the relevant court and such a decision reached.

The on-going strike in these tea estates is protected by a valid Court Order and as a Union we wish to caution these firms not to provoke workers further through threats of eviction when it is these very employers who have continued to exhibit impunity and arrogance in handling genuine concerns by workers over what is rightfully meant for these employees.

We urge all our members who are on strike to stay put and await communication from their union officials and the employers to keep off and instead come down to the table and enter into a return-to-work formula with the union and we as the Union, we are more than ready to enter into this return-to-work formula document soonest so and proceed to call off the strike.

Francis Atwoli,NOM(DZA),EBS,MBS

GENERAL SECRETARY