- The floriculture sector is the second foreign exchange earner after tea
- Naivasha has more than 60 flower farms,
Image: George Murage
Consumers in Europe are keen to make sure that flower farm workers are better paid and their working conditions improved.
Their concern is expressed as stakeholders have called for the amendment of the Labour Act, terming it as archaic as the minimum wage is only Sh6,737 per month.
This emerged during the launch of the Dignified Opportunities nurtured through Trade and Sustainability (DONUTs) programme sponsored by Fair Trade Africa.
The acting executive directive of Fair-Trade Africa Oscar Ochieng said minimum wage, living and working conditions for the workers were very critical to the consumers in Europe.
“The consumers through Fair Trade are very keen on the welfare of the workers and hence the calls to address their minimum wages during these harsh economic times,” he said.
He said Kenya was among countries that would benefit from Sh13 million euros s toward supporting farmers and workers in the flowers and tea sector.
“The DONUT project will go towards addressing workers’ rights, improving their working conditions and getting decent income,” he said.
He was full of praise for flower farmers in the country who were certified by Fair Trade, noting that all of them had complied with minimum wages.
“Those farmers who are certified by Fair Trade easily access the market and they are audited frequently to make sure that workers’ rights are observed and they have decent wages,” he said.
On her part, Bettina Von Reden from Fair Trade in Germany said that the programme was meant to address workers living and working conditions.
She noted that the organization was working in 14 countries on the continent adding that its main objective was raising awareness among consumers.
The project officer World Fair Trade Organization Obed Tum admitted that workers living and working conditions mainly in the flower sector had not been fully addressed.
He was however optimistic that this would be addressed by the ongoing programme as he pointed to wages as one of the critical areas.
“The issue of wages has been a thorny one for a long time and I am sure that this will be addressed under this project that seeks to champion workers’ rights,” he said.