Dock workers split on plan to abandon Cotu for rival union

Dock workers are divided over a proposed vote to decide a plan to join a newly-formed umbrella union.

Some Dock Workers Union (DWU) members on Wednesday dismissed the proposed vote set to begin on Tuesday and demanded an Annual General Meeting to decide the fate of the 5,500-member union.

The vote seeks to determine whether members should pull out of Central Organisation of Trade Unions and join Public Service Trade Unions of Kenya (Pusetu).

A member, Mr Musa Jaka, accused besieged Dock Workers Union secretary-general Simon Sang of “trying to force Pusetu down the throats of members”.

Mr Jaka joins a growing list of anti-Sang members closely allied to Cotu secretary-general Francis Atwoli, who was recently in Mombasa to meet them. (READ: Atwoli, Pusetu take fight to registrar)

Mr Sang has, however, dismissed the group as “Atwoli’s hirelings” who are “very cunning and using cash to divide the union”.

But Mr Jaka maintained that majority of the members were not for joining Pusetu and demanded that the secretary-general calls for an AGM to enable them to seek a way forward.

“It’s only an AGM that can resolve such a weighty matter through the participation of members, not even a special conference. An AGM can also demonstrate Sang’s current popularity because we feel that he is taking members for granted,” he said.

Mr Jaka said it was disturbing that after “working amicably with Atwoli for seven years” Mr Sang had “suddenly realised that the Cotu boss was bad”.

He called on Mr Sang to vie for Atwoli’s post if he wanted to change things “instead of joining Pusetu whose future is uncertain and in darkness”.

LAUNCHED CAMPAIGN

“The late Juma Boy and Denis Akumu were Cotu and DWU secretary generals at the same time. Sang should also fight for Atwoli’s post and remain DWU secretary-general,” he said.

He said the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) and other unions purporting to have joined Pusetu were not Cotu-affiliated.

“Why should DWU be the only Cotu-affiliated union to join Pusetu?” he posed.

After chairing a four-hour meeting with 158 shop stewards at DWU Makuli Fagia headquarters in Mombasa last week, Mr Sang said the union had launched a sensitisation campaign among members to explain why they should join Pusetu.

Mr Sang said Article 41 of the Unions Act gives them the right to join a federation of their choice and warned Mr Atwoli to keep off DWU affairs.

He said Cotu had failed to serve workers’ interests, citing Kenya Power where 68 per cent of the staff have remained casuals. (READ: Money and power: Inside the big battle for workers billions)

DWU chairman Jeffah Said Kithi said the AGM would be held in May “to review the constitution”, saying the delay in holding it had been decided by the National Executive Council.

Mr Kithi said the union had distributed “confidence” forms among members to fill in before the vote starts.

However, a spot check by Nation on Wednesday indicated that the vote had not taken off.

Reached for comment, Mr Sang did not pick his phone or answer short messages.

Mr Atwoli has described Pusetu as a “government-sponsored federation” to defend corrupt people.