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{
    "id": 1162238,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1162238/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 100,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Sakaja",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13131,
        "legal_name": "Johnson Arthur Sakaja",
        "slug": "johnson-arthur-sakaja"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, many Statements that have come today have the labour component. There are issues that we have had a chance to look at and some are ongoing. As I always say, there are two sides of a coin. Many of the tea companies are operating on leases of Kenyan land whether it is in Nandi County, Kericho or Bomet. There are many multinationals. Actually, Bomet has the largest number, but people do not know that. Kericho is known to be the real home for tea growing. Normally, you would expect that there is direct return when you are holding that land in trust for the locals. You would expect the locals not just to have priority but then, the number of locals employed should be higher. There must be that return. Globally, there has been the issue of productivity and competitiveness. My Committee did a visit to James Finlay in Kericho and Bomet counties, it straddles both counties and we could see the catch 22 situation. James Finlay was employing 12,000 people and now it has reduced to 6,000 because of mechanization. If you look at many others like Sasini, most of them have gone fully or partially automated. There have been questions even in the House of Commons in the British Parliament about not just the efficiency but the effects of those machines on the people. Many of them have been debunked but still when we sat down with these farmers and unions, we could see there is lack of proper engagement and participation. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, we are doing a report on James Finlay. I must fault the consortium of trade unions, for example, Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU) for entering into Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) on behalf of tea pluckers. An example of the CBAs has different categories of the workers. There is an amount that is given to a tea plucker per day based on the kilos that they collect. There is also an amount for what they call fieldwork. I have further discussed with the management of James Finlay. They are fully mechanised yet they are still using a CBA that had no provision for wages on mechanisation. I do not know if you are getting me. Therefore, the worker who is running the mechanised tea-plucking machine is being paid under a CBA of manual labour. Their pay has reduced from Kshs12,000 to Kshs6000 and they are being paid based on field work which is less than the plucking. Therefore, the first thing that COTU and the"
}