Workers want MCAs to ban tea picking machines

Workers want MCAs to ban tea picking machines.

Tea workers have petitioned the County Assembly to create a law to ban use of tea picking machines by multinational farms within the county.

In a petition to MCAs, the workers said the move would safeguard their profession.

Kenya Plantation and Agricultural Workers Union (Kpawu) lawyer Mersherk Khisa and Kericho branch executive Dickson Sang, challenged the ward reps to take cue from their opposites in Nandi assembly, who banned the use of the machines in their county.

"Kericho County Assembly has taken far too long in passing legislation banning the use of tea plucking machines. The failure to take a stand has emboldened the multinational tea companies to import more machines," said Mr Khisa.

The lawyer, who doubles up as Central Organisation of Trade Union (Cotu) Assistant General Secretary, added that the multinational tea firms put the lives of the tea pickers at risk by failing to adhere to the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

The Act states that every machine operator must be trained before operating a machine.

"The multinational companies pick random workers and assign them to operate machines without giving them any training," said Khisa.