• The meeting between the trade unions and the President will be to discuss and change the industrial arrangement in the country, he said.
• DWU, which has a membership of more than 7,000 people, said they want Ruto to form a task force to look at all teething issues at the Port of Mombasa.
Image: FILE
At least 20 trade unions are preparing for a meeting with President-elect William Ruto after he is sworn in on Tuesday.
Dock Workers Union secretary general Simon Sang and his Knut counterpart Collins Oyuu said they have started a discussion on a memorandum of understanding that will be presented to Ruto at State House.
Sang said Kenya has 67 trade unions and they have reached out to 14 in the transport sector and four in the education sector.
In an interview with the Star, Sang said more unions are still coming on board.
The meeting between the trade unions and the President will be to discuss and change the industrial arrangement in the country, he said.
“For many years, the relationship between the national government and the trade unions has been so adversarial. We want to change this so that issues are resolved without strikes or shouting,” Sang said.
He said the government and trade unions in Singapore engage amicably, which is why the workers never go on strike.
Sang said DWU and Knut will facilitate the meeting between trade unions and Ruto so that the Kenyan employees’ welfare is taken into consideration.
“As it is right now, the Kenyan workers are the losers, therefore, we need to have a candid conversation with the government on issues affecting us,” he said.
Oyuu said trade unions need to work with the government of the day for the benefit of their employees countrywide.
“It is important to have such an engagement with the government to discuss terms and conditions of employees. The engagement will be done in a more structured manner and all trade unions, which are part of Cotu, will be brought on board,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sang said they will also engage President-elect Ruto on the transfer of port services back to Mombasa.
During his campaign in Mombasa, Ruto was categorical that he would revert port services through an executive order, immediately after he is sworn into office.
On August 3, DWU threw its weight behind Ruto, saying it was clear that Kenya Kwanza Alliance would form the next government and they did not want to be left out.
DWU, which has a membership of more than 7,000 people, said they want Ruto to form a task force to look at all teething issues at the Port of Mombasa.
Sang said the task force will consist of members from the port, political class, civil society organisations and trade unions.
“We want to have a collective conversation on what is good for the port and the Coast region,” he said.
According to Sang, the DWU, Kenya Transporters Association, Kenya International Freight and Warehousing Association (Kifwa), and Seafarers Union of Kenya should be part of the conversation related to the port.
Last month, Sang said that apart from the transfer of port of services to Mombasa, DWU will also be pushing for the reinstatement of the annual bonus which KPA management discontinued without any reason.
He said Kenya Revenue Authority employees continue to earn their annual bonus every December.
“We want to be paid our three-year annual bonus that is being held by the National Treasury, while our counterparts at KRA have continued to get paid,” Sang said
“The performance and productivity bonus was also reduced to the extent that it is no longer an incentive and inadequate to employees.”
DWU also wants the KPA employees who were sacked to be reinstated.
“We want the reinstatement of KPA employees who were sacked some years back. There are three groups 28, 247 and 199. I will give a separate detailed memorandum for the three groups for forwarding to the fifth President Ruto,” he said.
Edited by A.N