Give more women top jobs, Kalonzo tells unions

Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka during Labour Day celebration organised by Cotu. On September 18, 2019, he raised the issue of fewer women in union leadership at the Organisation of African Trade Union Unity conference in Nairobi. PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • “Only less than 30 per cent of women occupy the top slots in key unions, including Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) and the very umbrella body of all workers Central Organization of Trade Unions, (COTU),” said Mr Musyoka.
  • Mr Musyoka urged the trade unions to help strike the right balance between workers’ rights and employer rights.
  • COTU Secretary General Francis Atwoli said trade organisations should take responsibility for building a just and equitable future of work.

Women are still poorly represented in the top ranks of labour movements in Kenya, Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka told a conference in Nairobi on Tuesday.

Mr Musyoka, head of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Committee in South Sudan, said the trend is worrying so immediate solutions are needed.

“Less than 30 per cent of women occupy the top slots in key unions, including the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) and the umbrella body of all workers - the Central Organization of Trade Unions, (COTU),” he told the

Organisation of African Trade Union Unity (OATUU) conference on Wednesday.

RIGHTS

Mr Musyoka further urged trade unions to help strike the right balance between workers’ rights and employer rights.

“This goes hand in hand with the need to foster closer and harmonious relationships between trade unions and employers so as to avoid excessive combativeness and/or brinkmanship that may be unfavourable to the wellbeing of the worker as well as the investor,” he said.

He also noted that denial of employee rights by an employer often results in low morale, which leads to low productivity or the lack of it altogether.

“In the extreme end of the pool, excessive demands for awards by workers often end up crippling industries due to astronomical costs,” he said.

COURT ORDERS

Mr Musyoka further noted the need for adherence to court orders by the employer, the employee and their representatives so as to promote industrial harmony.

“I am convinced that the current impasse between the Teachers Service Commission and Knut, which basically revolves around the welfare of teachers, can be amicably resolved through mediation,” he said.

The official also spoke about government interference with trade unions yet they are not a threat.

DIALOGUE

Cotu Secretary-General Francis Atwoli said trade organisations should take responsibility for building a just and equitable future of work.

"Social dialogue can play a key role in ensuring the importance of this contract to managing the changes and all the partners in the world of work should be included and participate fully in the process,” said Mr Atwoli in a statement read by COTU Deputy Secretary General Benson Okwaro.