Kenya Union of Sugar Plantation Workers Kibos branch members in strike threat.

 The Kenya Union of Sugar Plantation Workers General Secretary Francis Wangara when he received a copy of a letter from the Union's Branch members from Kibos Sugar after issuing a notice of strike on January 31 this year-Photo Dickson Odhiambo

 By Dickson Odhiambo

January 15, 2019.

Kenya Union of Sugar Plantation Workers Kibos branch members in strike threat.

MEMBERS of the Kenya Union of Sugar Plantation Workers at Kibos Sugar and Allied Industries Limited in Kisumu have threatened to go on strike following the company’s alleged failure to implement the Collective Bargaining Agreement of the year 2015/16.

Through their Branch Secretary of Kenya Union of Sugar Plantation Workers Michael Ochieng Gombe, the workers have issued a strike notice and threaten to go on strike on January 31 this year if the issues they want addressed will have not been tackled by then.

In a letter dated January 14, 2019 to the General Secretary of the Kenya Union of Sugar Plantation Workers Francis Wangara, the workers demand full grading and review of job titles for all the unionizable staff, accompanied by appointment letters.

They claim that for the last ten years, they have never been issued with appointment letters.

They also demand the full settlement of the year 2016 to 2018 arrears by the end of this month and the tabulation of arrears of 2015/2016.

They also want the release of all the pay slips from October 2018 to December 2018 as well as wanting the completion of the 2018/2020 Collective Bargaining Agreement by January 31 this year, adding that they had agreed to complete negotiations in 30 days which they claim have expired.

They further demand an immediate implementation of the labour officer’s report on the resting day.

“In respect to the directive by the National office on pay day, this also form part of the strike notice should the pay day go beyond the last date of the month as enshrined in the law,” read part of the later.

The Kenya Union of Sugar Plantation Workers General Secretary Francis Wangara who has received the letter supports the notice of strike.

Wangara says they are determined to solve the issue of workers, adding that they had given an earlier notice of strike but they put it on hold to give way to dialogue process which has failed terribly.

The Kenya Union of Sugar Plantation Workers Kibos Branch Secretary Michael Ochieng Gombe has denied claims that he was bribed so that he should not advance the issue of strike.

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