Athi River Textile Employees Speak Out Against Harsh Working Conditions

A riot broke out on a textile manufacturing plant at Athi River on Thursday when workers, along with officials of the Tailors and Textile Workers Union, organized a demonstration against their employer, citing gross mistreatment and abuse of labor rights.

What had started as a peaceful protest soon got out of control, and police officers were called upon to calm down the angry crowd that had assembled outside the gates of the company.

The employees, who were majority women, charged the Chinese-owned factory with mistreating its employees and exploiting them through the long working hours, low wages, and cruel treatment.

They further claimed that the management habitually screamed at them in Chinese and fired employees without giving them a warning, especially to pregnant women.

One of the disheartened workers said to reporters that they were being abused in a language they did not even understand.

We demand the right to have a union so that we may be able to protect ourselves but they have refused us that right. The employees noted that those who tried to push the management to provide better working conditions were intimidated or fired unceremoniously.

The demonstrators urged the government to intervene, claiming that they were crying out and long enough they were not heard.

The leaders of the unions that participated in the protest condemned the management of the factory and promised to take the issue to the Ministry of labour.

One of the union officials said: This mistreatment should cease. We have already put in notice to the Ministry of Labour, and officers will be out tomorrow into the matter.

The law ensures the rights of workers are guarded and such malpractices cannot be perpetuated.

Employed women, especially those who work throughout the night, were particularly vocal and spoke against the poor conditions that women were experiencing.

They gave examples of pregnant women being fired at will and others being pushed to work hard and receive a minimal salary.

One worker claimed that pregnant women are being sacked without any reason. Night shift workers have to be at work at 6:00 p.m. and continue until 11:00 a.m. the following day, but the pay is so meager on those long shifts.

The workers insisted that they needed to hold an urgent conference with the management of this company to raise their concerns.

Some of their most critical requirements were the acknowledgement of their right to be members of a trade union, protection of pregnant women, fair remuneration of overtime employees, and better working conditions.

The Ministry of Labour was urged by union officials to make a decisive move against the company and thus ensure that workers are not discriminated against by the company and exploited against labor laws in Kenya.

The demonstration at Athi River textile company is an extension of a larger trend of labor unrest that is sweeping the nation.

In recent months, Kenya has seen an increased number of labor strikes and demonstrations, when workers are protesting in many industries, claiming about better payment and proper treatment.

University employees had only a day prior to the Athi River protest, ended a 49-day strike after striking a compromise with their employers.

On the same note, physicians recently ended a four-month national strike after years of bargaining with the government on their salaries, wages, promotions, and other working conditions.

Other sectors are experiencing the wave of discontent. The Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU) has given a seven-day strike notification demanding the resignation of the Kenya Airports Authority board.

In the meantime, the Communication Workers Union has already declared a strike all over the country, paralyzing the activities of the Postal Corporation of Kenya due to salaries that are not paid.

Unless employers and the government tackle these rising complaints, labor experts say that Kenya may have a more widespread unrest in the coming months.

To the employees of the Athi River plant, though, the message is less complex: dignity, respect, and fairness at the workplace.

One of the workers said, We just want to be treated like human beings. We do not demand much we only demand our rights.