By STEPHEN MAKABILA

Kenya: Central Organisation of Trade Union (Cotu) risks losing its place as the country’s sole labour centre following Federation of Public Service Trade Union’s (Pusetu) move to poach affiliated unions.

Experts in labour relations predict a bruising war between Cotu and Pusetu in coming months, and point out that while this may be a relief on Jubilee government, it may hurt interests of Kenyan workers.

Already, Pusetu says it is recognised by the Government as the country’s second labour centre and has launched a campaign to gain representation on the boards of the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF), the National Labour Board and all Statutory bodies, where Cotu currently represents the interests of workers.

Workers have two representatives on the NSSF board, three representatives in the National Labour Board and two representatives on NHIF board among others.

But Cotu is unlikely to take advances by Pusetu lying down.

“The fighting between the two umbrella unions may in some way weaken both, and this will be a blessing to the current government that is weighed down by a huge wage bill and may not be ready for strong push for pay hikes by unions. Second, workers will suffer due to weakened bargaining power of their unions,” says Martin Mulwale of Maseno University.

Two week ago, the Dock Workers Union (DWU) top brass ditched Cotu and announced they had joined Pusetu. DWU Secretary General Simon Sang said they were not interested in Cotu affairs but were concerned with creating an effective national centre for workers.

DWU, which brings together about 6,000 employees of the Kenya Ports Authority and Kenya Ferry Services, now joins Pusetu, that already had the giant Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) among others.

“We are coming together to create an effective national centre for workers in public service. These are some of the positive effects of the current Constitution,” said Sang. The founding members (affiliate unions) of Pusetu include Knut, Union of Kenya Civil Servants, Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers, Universities Non-Teaching Staff Union and Universities Academic Staff Union.

Shown interest

According to Pusetu Secretary General Charles Mukhwaya and board member Wilson Sossion, who doubles as Knut Secretary General, other unions that have shown interest in Pusetu are the Doctors’ union, Kenya National Union of Nurses, Kenya Local Government Workers Union, Aviation and Allied Workers Union, Telecommunication Workers Union and Unions operating within research institutions.

Dr Mukhwaya said the idea to form a new labour centre was mooted after realisation that majority of trade unions within the public service sector were either by design or default not Cotu affiliates and yet there was no other umbrella body for them.

“As a result of such a lacuna, a formal application for registration of a new labour centre was made and submitted to the Government. Naturally, and as expected, Cotu objected to the registration. The matter moved to the High Court as judicial review with the Registrar of Trade Unions as the respondent, while Cotu was enjoined as an interested party. The court on July 17, 2012 ordered the Registrar to register Pusetu as a new labour centre, effectively locking out Cotu from laying claim on public service trade unions,” he said.

Mr Sossion told The Standard on Sunday, “We want to be represented on the NSSF, NHIF, National Labour Board and all other bodies because we have more members than Cotu.”

The gravity of what is at stake between Cotu-Kenya and Pusetu-Kenya was demonstrated in Atwoli’s quick rejoinder to DWU’s move to cross over. “Cotu has learnt with utter bemusement claims of the formation and launch of a trade union federation announced in the country’s coastal town and whose sole purpose is to revival Cotu,” stated Cotu-K Secretary General Francis Atwoli in a statement. Atwoli went on, “Indeed, eventually the cat has now been let out and it is glaring. The forces of impunity, corruption, deception and fraud that manifests themselves from a clique of the political class, have now camouflaged themselves into a totally different outfit and unaware these are last kicks of a dying horse as various government investigative agencies and Cotu are zeroing in on them, they hurriedly assemble together some hungry disgruntled elements on hire and claim to be forming a federation to shield them in the name of rivaling Cotu.” 

But Pusetu Vice-Chairman Sammy Kubasu, who doubles up as Uasu national chairman, says there is no conflict of interest between the two umbrella unions.

“While Pusetu represent unions under the public service, Cotu can represent unions in the private sector. We did not form Pusetu to fight Atwoli because he is not a ‘super human’,” said Dr Kubasu.

He said Pusetu was headed for major expansion as they were determined to poach all unions representing workers in the public sector in coming months.

Atwoli has, however, maintained that Cotu has been and remains a formidable labour movement not only in Kenya but in the region and across Africa, with a paid-up membership of a whopping 1.5 million people, where some of the affiliates like the Kenya Plantation and Agricultural Workers Union boasts of more than 300,000 members.

“Trade unionism is not manifested in egoism and utter thirst to protect the corrupt for personal interests other than the members’ and what our brother Sossion is engaging in is creating a viable home-ground where the corrupt and forces of despondency can thrive at the expense of the working poor and this won’t cow down Cotu no matter how loud they project their voices to please their pay masters,” said Atwoli.

He says his union’s record in Industrial relations speaks for itself and that the purported launch of the federation in Mombasa remains inconsequential, futile and insignificant to Kenya’s labour movement and “if indeed one is a man or woman of substance in the eyes of the Kenyan workers, he or she is invited to Cotu Governing Council Conference and elections on May 20, 2016 at the Tom Mboya Labour College, Kisumu”.