Workers in the hospitality industry can rest easy after a collective bargaining agreement that they have negotiated since the 1960s was finally completed.
The hotel workers will receive a 10 per cent boost in their earnings this year, and a further 8.5 per cent next year in the new agreeement.
The fruitful negotiations between Kenya Association of Hotel keepers and Caterers (KAHC) and Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals and Allied Workers (KUDHEIHA) announced the successful registration of 2019/2020 Collective Bargaining Agreement yesterday. It gives the terms and conditions of employment in the hotel industry.
“This negotiation journey started in the 1960s,” said KAHC chairman, Chris Musau. The deal includes a 10 per cent house allowance to be awarded this year, and a further 8.5 per cent next year. The workers will also be paid a service charge of seven per cent, and a further 5.5 per cent on beverages, a formal tip that is meant to improve staff performance. The hotel workers will also benefit from a medical scheme, leave allowance, travel allowance, gratuity and welfare benefits.
Among features in the CBA is an alternative dispute mechanism, the Joint Industrial Council and the Coast Dispute Committee, who are tasked with investigating disputes and training both employers and employees on industrial relations.
Also speaking at the signing ceremony, Kudheiha secretary general Albert Njeru urged unionisable members to continue enabling the hotel industry thrive.
Kudheiha is a union representing support staff working in a wide range of industries including domestic workers, schools, hospitals, parastatals, universities, religious institutions and colleges among others.
