• The management said in the one-week illegal strike, they have lost Sh20 million, the cost of 100,000 garments which were to be produced and sold to the United States.
• The employees said the strike was because the management is trying to favour some officials in the TTWU who represent the workers.
At least 2,100 employees of the Simba Apparel Export Processing Zone in Changamwe, Mombasa, have been sacked.
The management of the EPZ yesterday yesterday rendered all the employees redundant after it failed to resolve a one-week tussle over employees and union leadership.
In a statement sent to media houses, the management said its 2,100 workers held an illegal strike on September 9.
“This was due to an internal fight between two shop stewards of Tailors and Textile Workers Union (TTWU), which is supported by a local politician,” the management said.
In a notice outside the EPZ’s main gate, the management said due to the failure by the workers to honour a return-to-work-formula, they have decided to close down the factory
The management said in the one-week illegal strike, they have lost Sh20 million, which is the cost of 100,000 garments which were to be produced and sold to the United States.
However, the employees said the strike was because the management is trying to favour some officials in the TTWU who represent the workers.
Chief shop steward of the workers’ union Meshack Mwangangi said his deputy is siding with the management and has been threatening workers.
He said on September 9, when the strike started, he was ejected from a board meeting.
“I was manhandled and ejected from the directors’ meeting. The management does not want to listen to us, but the other side who are goons and come to work while armed with knives,” Mwangangi said.
He said as union officials they have collected signatures of all the workers to call for new elections, but the management has refused to allow them.
“We only want to carry out new election and workers allowed to work in a safe environment. Until that is honoured, we will not continue working,” he said.