Toggle high contrast

TUC protests at attacks on Kenyan tea sector unions

Issue date
Solidarity with Kenyan trade unionists

Tea sector layoffs

November 2010

The TUC has protested about attacks on trade unions in the Kenyan tea sector which have followed mass lay-offs by six multinational companies.

The TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber has written to the Kenyan High Commissioner in London, as follows:

HE Mr Ephraim Waweru Ngare
High Commissioner
Kenya High Commission
45 Portland Place
London W1B 1AS

Dear High Commissioner

The Trades Union Congress (TUC), which is the representative body of people at work in Great Britain joins the international trade union movement to protest against the massive lay-offs which are currently taking place in the tea sector in your country and the resulting attacks on trade unionists resisting those lay-offs.

The TUC urges you to pass on to your government our demand that action should be taken to put an end to this situation and create the conditions for an environment which is conducive to the full free exercise of democratic and trade union rights.

The TUC has been informed by the Kenya Plantation and Agricultural Workers Union (KPAWU) that six multinational companies (Unilever Tea Kenya Limited, James Finlay Flowers Limited, Eastern Province, George Williamson, Sotik Tea Company Limited and Sotik Highland) started the massive introduction of machines in the tea picking process resulting in the loss of no less than 80,000 jobs of workers employed directly and indirectly in Kenya's tea sector.

During the last two weeks, the members of the KPAWU and their families, who initiated industrial action because of the ensuing lay-offs, have also been facing arbitrary arrests, torture in police cells, threats and intimidation, for merely standing up for their legitimate trade union rights.

Through these actions, these six multinational companies are creating unemployment and ignoring democratic values and labour rights as enshrined in the ILO's Core Conventions on workers' rights.

I would be grateful for your comments on this matter.

Yours sincerely

BRENDAN BARBER

General Secretary

Enable Two-Factor Authentication

To access the admin area, you will need to setup two-factor authentication (TFA).

Setup now