Don’t protest, seek legal redress, West Kenya Sugar tells employees

The management of West Kenya Sugar Company limited has cautioned the Kabras union of sugarcane plantation workers (KUSPAW) to stop inciting striking and instead seek legal redress to their grievances.

The group head external affairs and communication West Kenya Sugar Company, while addressing the media after a long day of running battles between the police and striking workers that has since paralyzed operations at the milling company, George Muruli criticized the manner in which the union officials were using the casuals to down their tools and riot in protest to poor wage bill.

The demonstrations according to the company management has been on for three days disrupting cane harvesting lifting and payments of farmers hence compromising the quality of harvested cane.

On Tuesday, 1st October 2024,morning, union officials entered the premises of West Kenya sugar company and initiated informal grouping meetings with outsourced members staff that led to employees down their tools halting operations, and this has been so for the last three days as they engage the police in running battles day long, that has led to two of our managers Mr. Manoj general manager and Duncan Abwawo (human resource manager (HRM) being manhandled and injured respectively with the latter being hospitalized after receiving serious injuries in the melee and is currently receiving medical attention as we speak.”

Muruli further narrated how the situation deteriorated when the union officials incited the employees leading them into forcing their way into the company premises by breaking the gate where they proceeded to disrupt operations by evicting fellow employees who had voluntarily opted to report to work and extended their heinous acts to the employee residences resulting in chaos and disarray.

Despite the management convening a meeting with the union officials and officials from the ministry of labour to address the workers grievances, and a mutual agreement being found allowing the employees to resume duty while their demands were being discussed, the union has continued to incite the striking employees to hold ground up to now.

A subsequent meeting chaired by the Kakamega county commissioner Meru Mwangi has however termed the strike as illegal and unprotected and further directed that the union adheres to the directive by seeking resolutions to their demands through legal channels.

Efforts to resume operations at the milling company was hard hit today after the union is alleged to have mobilized unknown individuals to block access to the factory premises resulting to a complete cessation of operations for the third day running leaving the miller recording millions of losses so far.

“We are urging the all our employees to resume work promptly and we further appeal to the union and all parties involved to engage in dialogue through appropriate channels to address this matter amicably as the welfare of our workers and the continued operations of our milling company is our topmost priority and we remain committed in addressing any grievances presented to us through proper procedures besides promoting a cooperative work environment.” He concluded.

The union is pushing for better remunerations of the casuals whom are subcontracted who have their contracted counterparts in the same departments earning more than double their home take.

According to the union Secretary Jeremiah Akhonya they won’t relent until their demands are made.

“We are holding peaceful demonstrations and no property of the miller will be damaged our aim is to have our pleas heard and determined.” Said Akhonya.