Central Organization for Trade Unions (Cotu) has urged the state to fight chronic corruption facing the private security agencies in the country.
COTU boss Francis Atwoli said the challenges faced in the security industry result from malpractices done by rogue officials in the unions and companies.
He said the officials engage in actions that violate organizations' rules and regulations stipulated in the law.
Atwoli challenged the union's top officials to up their efforts in ensuring that they win the trust of their employers locally and abroad by ensuring sanity prevails at all times.
“We must ask our brothers and sisters in those sensitive areas and high-ranking positions in the sector to tame corruption. This will create respect and ensure our security is secure," said Atwoli.
Atwoli fingered the national security regulatory board saying it has failed to protect workers in the private sector.
“The root course of this crisis is the private security regulatory authority. We are having a plan to overhaul the authority because they are not addressing the challenges in the industry,” Atwoli said while addressing private security top officials on July 11 in Nairobi.
He further urged the government through the Department of Security to bring into terms employers who will offend their employees.
“The government is supposed to act and arrest any employer, after gazettement of minimum wage, who fails to implement or comply with the minimum wage limit, take them to court for prosecution,” added Atwoli.
Additionally, he said that some politicians and a section of employers had in the past divided the unions Lauding the efforts made by the private unions in uniting the members.
The trade union boss warned security companies defecting from the collective bargaining agreements, failing to remit taxes, statutory deductions and underpaying their employees that they will face the law.
“Those employers who are under any business of security causing distortion in the sector are called circumstantially to adhere to the CBA actions,” said Atwoli.
On the other hand, Atwoli proposed scrutiny in the sector to investigate and deal with rogue companies to reduce cases of employees being underpaid and exploited by employers.
