Sucre Ethique - Kenya : Sugar Firm Employees’ Hopes Dashed

Daily nation - dimanche 22 août 2010

Nairobi — A judge has dashed the hopes of West Kenya Sugar Company employees to have their working hours reduced to 44 a week.

In a decision, Industrial Court judge Paul Kosgei, said the reduction of hours from 48 to 44 will have serious repercussions on the productivity of the firm, given that it is operating below capacity.

The judge added that the factory needed every support ahead of huge competition expected from sugar producers from the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) in 2012.

The employees, through the Kenya Union of Sugar Plantation & Allied Workers, moved to court after the company reneged on a promise to reduce working hours.

The court heard that it had been agreed through a collective bargaining agreement in 2009 that working hours would be reduced.

But the company broke the promise after further consultations. It emerged that agents of the firm had not fully exhausted their consultations before striking the deal.

Again, the workers borrowed from nearby sugar companies such as Mumias and Nzioa, whose employees work for 44 hours for six days.

In reply, the company defended itself saying that unlike Mumias and Nzioa, theirs is a private company managed on different principles, adding that reducing the working hours would increase the company’s wage bill.

The sugar firm added that neighbouring factories were supported by the government and some of their loans would be written off with support from the Treasury.

It said also that it was faced with various challenges such as lack of sugarcane and the need to diversify its products, due to the upcoming competition from Comesa.

An investigator from the Ministry of Labour confirmed the challenges including the fierce competition from the factories in the region.