Over 300 sugar cane cutters went on strike recently, alleging that Kenya's Mumias Sugar Company had not honoured a promise to provide them with protective working tools and improve the current salary.
... they claimed the company had failed to give them protective garments such as boots, aprons and gloves." We were also promised increment in payment rates up from the current Sh165 ($2.50) per tonne of sugar harvested but nothing to that effect has been done," said one of the cane cutters.
Mumias awarded an increment last year, when it started dealing with the cutters.
Company official Athman Wangara said the strike did not affect the company's operations. He noted that Mumias was dealing with the matter, and that other cane cutters could be hired. "As we speak the factory is crushing at the normal capacity" of over 9,000 tonnes of sugar cane per day despite the strike.
Meanwhile, Nzoia sugar factory re-opened on after a two-day closure sparked by a strike engineered by 200 drivers hired by private contractors to transport sugar cane to the factory. They ended the strike on Thursday morning after their demand for trade union representation was put under mediation.
The Daily Nation
