Atwoli: Workers feel abandoned and disconnected

COTU Secretary General Dr. Francis Atwoli(left) and Chairman General Joel Chebii lesve after the 60th Labour Day Celebrations at Uhuru Gardens, Nairobi on May 1, 2025.[Boniface Okendo, Standard] COTU Secretary General Francis Atwoli now says many working people feel disillusioned, unprotected, abandoned and disconnected from decisions that shape their world. While addressing the 113th session of the International Labour Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, Atwoli said the working class has lost trust in institutions and no longer feels part of the societies in which they live, a development that undermines social cohesion. According to him, the transformations affecting the world of work, such as technological revolution, demographic shifts, climate change, and trade and globalisation, have not helped either. "While these changes are imperative, the impacts on the working population and their families have worsened the plight of many people, deteriorated their working conditions, creating deep divides between countries, communities and people," said Atwoli. He said evidence has shown that the mutually reinforcing nature of the jobs, rights growth nexus needs no gainsaying. The issue remains why many of us remain unwilling to deliver on our mandates. "Mr President, since the organisation's founding in 1919, we have been preoccupied with ensuring that economic growth results in decent jobs which guarantee workers' right to social protection, freedom of association, decent wages and safe and healthy working environments," he said. Atwoli argued that while substantial gains have been recorded in the pursuit of the above, the results are mixed and vary across regions, countries and individuals. "Mr President, in Africa and Kenya in particular, demographic shifts manifested in a growing youth bulge have precipitated increased resentment in the institutions of governance owing to our failure to provide decent jobs and livelihoods," he said. He said a majority of the working-age population has remained stuck in informal sector jobs where decent work deficits are widespread, coupled with chronic labour underutilization. According to him, the Arab Spring, a growing phenomenon of political instability and military interventions in many countries and widespread protests are manifestations of the feeling of disillusionment and lack of inclusion of the majority of the working population in benefiting from a fair share of the fruits of their labour. "Mr President, COTU(K) also notes the report's analysis that many working people acknowledge that while the key drivers of change as represented by technology, demographic shifts, climate change, trade and globalisation present challenges and opportunities that affect them differently, the key issue remains the manner through which the impacts are managed," he said. Atwoli said in Kenya, like in many developing countries in the global south, the continued economic growth has not translated into significant growth in decent jobs, leaving close to 5 million Kenyans unemployed or underemployed in the informal sector, which to date represents over 80 per cent of the working population. "This is what has fuelled the rise in labour migration and mobility of our youth to countries in the Gulf, Europe and North America, often under poorly governed migration regimes," said Atwoli. He also said complaints of violation of workers' rights continue to be reported in increasing numbers owing to systemic failure and inadequacy of the protective mechanisms across the labour migration value chains and corridors.

Atwoli: Workers feel abandoned and disconnected

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