Francis Atwoli, Cotu secretary general. [Photo/tuckmagazine.com]
The Central Organisation of Trade Unions, (Cotu) (K) is appealing to the Kenya National Union of Teachers, (Knut) and the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers, (Kuppet) to fully support, maintain and rally behind their newly elected union officials to Parliament.
This, Cotu says, will ensure that the workers’ voice is represented on the floor of the 12th Parliament.
The Francis Atwoli led union asked the two unions not to fall prey to some external forces, interests and pressure.
“We ask the two unions not to fall prey to some external forces, interests and pressure to neither relieve these elected Union Officials of their positions in their respective Unions nor be coerced into calling for their resignation from their Union positions because as workers we are no doubt set to benefit greatly by having colleagues sit in parliament on the platform of a worker representative and/or being an elected trade union official,” said Mr Atwoli in a statement on Wednesday.
Atwoli hailed the nomination and election of some union leaders to parliament.
“The nomination of Bro Wilson Sossion, the election of Bro. Omboko Milemba for Emuhaya on ANC ticket, Bro. Tom Odege for Nyatike on ODM, Bro. Ronald Tonui for Bomet Central on JP as well as Sis Catherine Wambilianga as Women Representative of Bungoma County on Ford K is laudable and a huge achievement for us as Labour Leaders in this Country and beyond and COTU(K) will extend any support required to these new Honourable Members of the 12th Parliament as they discharge their duties to Kenyans and workers in particular,” he said
Atwoli said as workers, they will stand by these leaders as they discharge their duties both at the union level and in parliament and will view any attack on anyone of them to be an attack on the entire Labour Movement in Kenya.