Multinational tea companies in Nandi County stand to lose Sh150 million annually for the next four years after protesting workers set 70 acres of tea bushes on fire following a pay row.
The managements of the affected tea plantations have disclosed that the burning of the two farms last week has impacted negatively on their revenue generation and operations.
“The two tea plantations generate an average of Sh12.5 million monthly translating to Sh150 million yearly and it will take four years before the burnt tea bushes regenerate,” said a senior manager who requested not to be named since is not authorised to speak to the media.
The companies are still assessing the damaged tea plantations to determine whether they will be uprooted and replaced with fresh crop or they will be left to regenerate.
However, normal tea picking and processing have resumed at Kapsumbeiwo Tea Factory that was hard hit by the protests by the workers who were demanding the implementation of a 30 per cent salary increment.
The workers were awarded the pay rise six months ago by the Industrial court in Nairobi.
The pay rise was to be implemented in two phases of 15 per cent each.
But some tea companies moved to court to challenge the pay rise arguing that it will lead to increased operational costs and subject them to losses.
Independent sources indicated that over 700 workers were sacked at Kapsumbeiwo Tea Estate for participating in the strike and absconding from duty.
More than 2,000 permanent and casual workers were sacked by the tea companies and ordered to vacate company houses.
But the workers' union obtained orders from the Industrial court restraining the tea companies from sacking more workers.
REINSTATE SACKED WORKERS
The court further ordered the tea companies to reinstate the over 2,000 sacked workers and restrained them from evicting the employees from company houses.
Justice Njagi Marete stopped Eastern Produce Kenya (EPK) from dismissing more workers.
The Kenya Plantation and Agricultural Workers Union (KPAWU) moved to court last week after Kapsumbeiwo Tea Estate sacked some of the workers who participated in two-day protest to demand pay rise.
The union’s national deputy secretary general Thomas Kemboi and Nandi branch secretary Eliakim Ochieng sought the court orders after the tea companies summarily dismissed some the permanent and casual employees for participating in the strike.
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