Senate orders flower farm to compensate sacked workers

The Senate has declared illegal a move by a Naivasha-based flower farm to terminate the services of over 500 workers in 2023.

Through the Public Petitions Committee, the Senate has directed the Ministry of Labour to ensure that Bohemian Flower Farms compensates the affected workers.

The committee found that the proper legal procedure for terminating the workers’ contracts had not been followed.

Chaired by Vihiga MP Ernest Kivai Ogesi, the committee has issued a 60-day notice to the ministry to make sure that the workers obtain recourse for their unprocedural termination.

In December 2023, the workers lodged a petition in the Senate citing unfair redundancy, summary dismissal, and suspension from employment.

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The mass sacking followed a strike on December 5, 2023, during which 589 workers were dismissed after protesting against poor working conditions and the introduction of a new clocking-in system.

In a report signed by Kivai, he noted that the Ministry of Labour in its report found out that the employees were not subjected to any disciplinary hearing before being sacked.

The farm’s human resource manager, Loreen Kimiyu, said the workers were introduced to a biometric clock-in system, which they were not comfortable with.

“Some of the workers missed their salaries after failing to clock in, and this led to an industrial strike, which caused significant damage, and in the process, they were sent home,” she said.