We will meet new management of Mumias over sacked workers, says Union boss

The General Secretary of the Kenya Union of Sugarcane Plantation and Allied Workers Francis Wangara at his office in Kisumu today. He says the Union will next Tuesday meet the new management of Mumias Sugar Company to address the plight of the sacked workers-Photo By Dickson Odhiambo.

  By Dickson Odhiambo.

 November 7, 2019.

We will meet new management of Mumias over sacked workers, says Union boss

THE Kenya Union of Sugar Cane Plantation and Allied Workers has reiterated that it is set to meet the new management of receivership of the collapsed Mumias Sugar Company over the issue of the sacked factory workers.

The Union’s General Secretary Francis Wangara says the Union is set to meet the new Receiver Manager for the Mumias Sugar Company on Tuesday next week to discuss the fate of those all its workers who have been sacked.

Addressing the press at his office in Kisumu today, Wangara said they want the new management to tell them on what they are going to do in terms of reviving the factory and payment to the workers it will re-hire.

He says one of the issues that will be discussed is under what terms and conditions will the new management hire the staffs since this will be different from the previous management.

Wangara says the labour force of the Mumias Sugar Company has greatly reduced hence the new management should never allow any worker to go somewhere.

He says the company now owes its workers about shs 1.8 billion in salary arrears, adding that it has accumulated for about 32 months.

“The idea is not laying off the workers but it should be that they be laid off and re-hired under the new management of receivership because they are going to require the services of the workers on fresh terms and conditions,” Wangara says.

He says the union would like to know what payments in terms of salaries will be made to workers when they are hired under the new management.

He says the workers Representative at the branch level will come up with the arrears owed to the workers so that the management should know such debts.

Wangara has defended the workers’ stay within the company saying they have been protecting the property of the company.

“I want to state it that Mumias sugar Company workers who have been staying there have done a good job of protecting the company’s property,” he adds.

The Kenya Commercial Bank recently placed the Mumias Sugar Company under receivership where a receiver manager has been appointed and was seconded in September this year.

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