Workers pick tea leaves on a Unilever tea plantation in Kericho.[Photo/www.alamy.com]
The multinational tea growers in Kenya are now warning that the wages could account for over half their costs if the 30 percent salary increment demanded by its workers is implemented.
According to the Kenya Tea Growers Association (KTGA) chief executive officer, Apollo Kiari, the percentage of the salaries increment requested by the workers is too high meaning that wage bills of the companies will go up to 54 per cent thus subjecting them to loses.
“By increasing the wages by 30 per cent, then it means the wage bill of these companies will go up to 54 per cent; this will obviously subject us to losses,” said Apollo Kiarii.
The Kenya Agricultural and Plantation Workers’ Union (KAPWU) had issued a strike notice to the companies saying that they will down their tools on October 17 and paralyze activities at the farms if their employer does not implement the 30 pc salary increment issued by the court.
KAPWU secretary-general Francis Atwoli has said that the plantations have failed to honour the court order and frustrate the negotiation talks between the two bodies.
He further noted that the workers have never been given any salary increment since 2014 apart from the 15 per cent that the companies awarded the employees.
“Since 2014, tea workers have seen no wage increases apart from the 15 per cent that the employer decided to award, even though the court had ordered 30 per cent, we want that court ruling to be fully implemented failure to which the strike starts on October 17,” said Mt Atwoli.
Kiarii has how called on the union to stop their strike considering that the matter is still in the court of appeal and the ruling is yet to be given.