Jobs dry up as Kenya tea firms to reduce staff

Over 18,000 tea workers in multi-national companies in Nandi District are likely to be send home this week due to the on-going drought which has cut down tea production by more than 80 per cent in parts of the country.

Some 14 tea factories under multi-national tea firms in the region are now threatened with being shut down due shortage of green leaf tea.

Top managers and officials from Kenya Plantation and Agriculture Workers Union resolved to have the staff laid off as the dry weather bites.

A tea workers’ union leader Mr Joshua Oyuga said tea factories in larger scale tea companies are operating below capacity.

He said staff are working for four days a week instead of six.

“Tea production has dropped by more than 80 per cent because of drought which is worsening by the day,” said Mr Oyuga.

He, at the same time, blamed tea companies for massive staff lay off saying use of tea plucking machines had made the situation worse.

Mr Oyuga said that tea estates which used to produce some 10,000 kilogrammes of tea per day were now plucking about 2,000 kilogrammes because of drought.

Last year, tea  pluckers from Tindiret  Tea Company burnt down about 15 tea machines protesting that the machines had taken up their jobs.

Multi-national tea companies workers in Nandi, Kericho and Sotik and Limuru went on strike last year leaving companies with huge loses during the two weeks period.

Still using the machines

The strike was called off after Cotu secretary general Francis Atwoli intervened to  pave way for talks between union and managers in the larger scale tea companies.

But yesterday Mr  Oyuga claimed that most tea companies in Nandi among them Kapchorwa, Williamson, Tindiret and Kaimosi tea companies were still using tea plucking machines after sending  more than 10,000 tea workers since January last year.

The Kapchorwa and Kaimosi have each 40 tea machines, Tindiret 45 machines and  Boit tea company had 30 machines.