Discord in dock workers union over Pusetu, Cotu

By BENARD SANGA

Kenya: The giant Dock Workers Union (DWU) is the new battleground for jurisdictional wars pitting the Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu) and the Public Servants Trade Unions of Kenya (Pusetu).

Labour relations’ experts warn the turf wars between the two could cause the 6,000 member strong DWU to be split down the middle which would greatly weaken its ability to fight for workers’ welfare.

It also threatens the position of DWU Secretary General Simon Sang, who Atwoli has vowed to oust while also possibly exposing Atwoli’s growing weakness within the labour movement.

Sang, who has led the union for eight years, controls majority of the DWU members but is said to be losing his grip following an onslaught by Atwoli.

A section of DWU members are allegedly planning to move to court ostensibly to kick-start the process of ousting Sang for his “unilateral decision to cut links with Cotu”.

Despite these threats, the secretary general remains unmoved and has promised to deliver all the dock worker to Pusetu.

MEMBERS APPROVAL

The disgruntled members say the move by Sang to move DWU to Pusetu is “retrogressive and curtails their rights as enshrined in the union’s constitution”.

According to Salim Mwavumo, the de facto leader of the rebel axis, the union’s constitution bars the secretary general from amalgamating DWU with other unions or joining other umbrella bodies without the approval of the members.

“DWU has not held an AGM for the last two years. Sang has turned the union into his personal property and recently he was pushing for the union to be merged with the Transport and Allied Workers Union (TAW) without the approval of the members,” he said.

Mwavumo said when Sang announced DWU’s affiliation with Pusetu earlier this year, he was accompanied by his executive committee but this latest move was taken unilaterally because Sang did not call for a special Annual General Meeting to deliberate on the issue.

Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) has also said it will not submit employees’ deductions to the government-backed Pusetu until the move by Sang’s group has been gazetted.

new union

Union members contribute Sh100 to COTU but last month DWU members were expected to contribute to Pusetu given that its top management had announced that they had joined the new union.

“We will not submit the deductions to Pusetu until there is a proper gazette notice. As far as we are concerned, DWU is still in Cotu and that is why we sent last month’s workers contributions to Cotu,” said KPA human resource and administration manager, Salim Chingambwe in reply to a question by The Standard.

COTU Secretary General Francis Atwoli has vowed to support Sang’s ouster saying he is running DWU like a private entity with little regard for members’ concerns.

“Sang’s lust for money is unmatched. He wants to bring all small unions under him and ever since I opposed the move, he has been against Cotu. I have been supporting him financially but now give me a person to take over from him,” Atwoli said during a meeting with a section of DWU members at WhiteSands Hotel.

Sang has however termed the allegations by Atwoli as baseless and reckless, saying those that attended the meeting are “the few members who have been bought by Atwoli and we know them”.

He said although the decision to move the union to Pusetu was not approved by the AGM, the union’s executive committee is aware and promised to convene an AGM very soon where members would be informed of the move.

“All dock workers are behind me and support the move to Pusetu. We don’t need Cotu since most of our workers are casuals, receiving meagre pay despite Atwoli’s long stay at the helm of Cotu,” he said.