Union vows to block layoffs at Mumias Sugar over losses
What you need to know:
- Mr Wangara, who is also Central Organisation of Trade Union’s executive committee member for Nyanza, also said there was a disparity in the number of employees.
- “Innocent employees cannot be used as a scapegoat for the managers’ failures. How are the subordinate staff responsible for the current losses?” asked Mr Wangara in a press conference at their Kisumu office on Sunday.
A union has threatened to stop the planned sacking of Mumias Sugar employees and blamed the firm’s decline in profitability to mismanagement.
Mumias has announced that it may lay off 900 workers as it seeks to return to profitability.
Kenya Union of Sugar Plantation and Allied Workers (Kuspaw) threatened to go to court to stop the company from implementing the proposal.
Kuspaw Secretary-General Francis Wangara and Treasurer Dennis Asembo said Mumias had been run down.
“Innocent employees cannot be used as a scapegoat for the managers’ failures. How are the subordinate staff responsible for the current losses?” asked Mr Wangara in a press conference at their Kisumu office on Sunday.
current losses?” asked Mr Wangara in a press conference at their Kisumu office yesterday.He accused the firm of turning workers into managers, therefore bloating the wage bill.
“How can there be more managers than employees?” he asked.
FORENSIC AUDIT
He also dared the company to release a forensic audit report done earlier in the year on the mismanagement of its resources.
“The report must have exposed people who are directly linked to mishandling of funds,” he said.
Mr Wangara, who is also Central Organisation of Trade Union’s executive committee member for Nyanza, also said there was a disparity in the number of employees.
“Our records for instance show that Mumias has 1,200 workers and not 1,900 as they allege. We do not know where the additional 700 came from,” he said.
The treasurer also said the current cane shortage would end soon.
