This trend of handling industrial unrest should worry Kenyans

The current wave of industrial unrest should be very worrying. First is because more questions than answers arise in relation to our industrial dispute handling mechanisms. Do they work, or they are not there? Secondly, these disputes are predominantly between the government and civil servants.  Mind you, the government is the duty bearer and custodian of labour legislation in a situation where either CBAs are not honoured or industrial relations are not valued and respected. It is even more disturbing when the ministries several times thump their chest with arrogance and threatening trade unions. Is the government or its representatives for that matter aware of workers’ rights and labour legislation?

Why have they thrown away dialogue as provided in the industrial relations mechanisms?

The second reason why the situation is worrying, is that, if the government cannot engage workers in proper dialogue and respect industrial relations processes, how do we expect the private sector to respect labour legislation and workers’ rights? Are we in for more trends where workers’ rights will continue being violated with poor working conditions and unfair wages? Shouldn’t this worry all of us if the majority of Kenyan workforce cannot improve their living conditions out of poor wages and poor working conditions?

Thirdly, and more disturbing is that the civil servants involved in the industrial dispute are those within the sectors that provide services considered to be the basic needs of the citizens; health and education; more so targeting the very poor who cannot afford private clinics and private schools. When we continuously plead with doctors, nurses and teachers and reproach their moral conscience using images of the suffering, we need to feed the government with the same.

Kenya’s industrial unrest is becoming untenable and in the long run the economy is what will suffer massively. This economy that so much depends on the workers!!

When trade unions have to meet the president to resolve disputes when the state has industrial dispute handling mechanisms then what we are glaring at is failure in the system.

My observation from these many industrial unrest in Kenya is the government failure to acknowledge the big role played by workers in driving economic development through production/labour and income.

And when signed CBAs are not honoured, and trade unions have to resolve to strike time and again, as we have seen with teachers before, and now doctors, it also points to dishonesty by the government, and I suggest moral failure by the state.

Ultimately, it boils down to one thing: The state has failed to recognised the contribution to the economy made by workers. The worst part is, the striking workers are often civil servants whose services address the basic needs of the citizenry: health and education.

No wonder the former Ministry of Labour has now been squashed to a department within the Ministry East African Community

The owners of V8, The Papal visit and Our priorities as Kenyans

The owners of V8, The Papal visit and Our priorities

The Land-Cruiser V8 represents all that is wrong with our Kenyan society, particularly now with economic challenges and the Papal visit.

First of all, I have a very strong feeling that the owners of the V8 will jostle to meet and request to dine with the Holy Father. Whether he will agree to it or not, no one knows - after all Jesus preached for sinners first. Now back to the V8 owners, the same way they push everyone out of the road and frighten us with sirens, they will elbow themselves through to be at the podium, closer so as to receive the Holy Father’s blessings. They will never be in the hot sun or wet grounds unlike the poor, the majority and the ones for whom the Holy Father bears message of hope. On the contrary, these filthy rich will expect to be prayed for, so that their sins and crime may go unnoticed. After spewing filth of ethnic hatred, gobbled the public resources and milked the poor dry they will be dressed up to push for a place next to the humble Holy Father.

It is the same reason, that after the holy mass on the 26^th they will now drive away with greater confidence with the overzealous police clearing way for them while the poor crowd slowly snailing their way out of the park to another uncertain tomorrow in the slums.

The V8 owners have their priorities wrong and they do not care. They believe, that when he arrives, the Holy Father will be looking out through the window for newly planted grass along the highway and feeling spoilt celebrating Holy Mass at the extravagant Papal Alter at the University of Nairobi. Or maybe am wrong, because they will also accompany the Holy Father to Kangemi where he will be praying with the poor, and blessing the politicians’ voters. A good boost to the next general elections!

The owners of the V8 will again jostle for a space at the UN in Gigiri, where the Pope will give a talk on climate change and conservation for the environment, unashamedly driving to pollute more and cruising alongside the humble man of God who will be driven in a tiny Italian FIAT.  You bet the owners of V8 will be there to be seen to be important, barely listening to the important message, because after that they will continue depleting the resources, hoarding more with no scruples. The symbol and humility will go back to Rome with the Holy Father because Kenya has no place for it.

As for the local Church and the state, they will continue to be good bed-fellows. Affirmative and thumbs- up that Kenya, once again is ahead of other nations!

Caspar Pedo