Hero or traitor? Atwoli bags sixth term as workers' payslips shrink

When he talks, he breathes fire. Loud with affirmation, but not for the primary group he should be protecting, but in support of a regime that has crippled trade unions and left workers walking home with drained payslips and worrying working conditions.

Yesterday, Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu) Secretary-General Francis Atwoli seamlessly bagged his sixth term at the helm of one of the entities workers have been hoping would champion for their rights in the wake of Kenya Kwanza’s crippling policies, but has lost its spark.

While nearly all the 250 delegates drawn from 47 affiliated trade unions, who represent more than four million workers across the country, unanimously backed the 77-year-old, observers and a section of workers painted gloom on the future of trade unions in the country.

They claim Atwoli, who was first elected Cotu boss in 2001, has abandoned them and instead has refocused his attention to backing unpopular decisions of the government, including punitive taxes and policies that they claim are hurting the agriculture sector, especially flower and coffee farming.

In the last few months, Atwoli has been vocal about championing President William Ruto’s reelection while turning a blind eye to the fate of workers, as strikes for various groups of workers hurt counties.

In the country’s health sector, recurring strikes by healthcare workers across the country are pushing the sector to the brink of collapse as trade unions that were once a beacon of hope remain mum.

This happens as nurses, doctors, clinical workers, and other categories of workers continue an endless pursuit for their Collective Bargaining Agreement(CBA) with the government.

Nurses, for instance, are demanding the implementation of the 2017 return-to-work formula and the conclusion of negotiations on their 2017 CBA, but they claim Cotu has turned its back on their plight.

Similarly, clinical officers have been negotiating their CBA for more than eight years, a delay unions describe as negligence by employers.

Critics believe Atwoli has built an army of delegates, in his 25 years at the helm, who are backing him without question and are reluctant to push the boundaries in the pursuit of better welfare for workers.

Yesterday, however, Atwoli painted a rosy picture of how the unions were doing well and on track to address the woes of workers.

“I commend affiliated unions for their active role in collective bargaining and protecting workers’ rights. Kenya’s labour movement remains one of the most effective on the continent. I commend our affiliates for their tireless commitment to defending workers’ rights through strong and effective collective bargaining,” he said.

Atwoli urged workers who are not members of trade unions to join in order to safeguard their rights and improve their welfare.

“Every two years, we register more than 200 CBAs. I urge you to keep recruiting members. We want to remain free and independent. I want to be a proud leader and independent,” he noted.

He told off critics who were claiming that his leadership was detached with the young generation.

“I appreciate the young people for running this union. They prepare negotiations and speeches that have always made me militant,” he noted.

Kenya National Union of Teachers Secretary-General Christine Oyuu, noted that as s teachers’ union, they have learnt a lot from Atwoli.

 “We shall forever learn and gain a lot from the leadership of Atwoli. Very tough but respectively tough,” he added.

However, Oyuu’s own house is leaking as teachers decry mistreatment by their employer and silence from their leadership.

Last week, details emerged that unions may have signed off on weaker benefits for their members, after it emerged that the Group Life Cover and Work Injury Benefits Act (WIBA) provisions are not available for teachers under the Social Health Authority (SHA).

This means teachers who are injured at work may not have their medical bills covered by the government insurance plan.

The revelation was communicated to the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers during a meeting with officials from the Ministry of Health and SHA.

For years, Kenya’s teachers have quietly carried the responsibility of educating the nation while contributing to medical schemes that promised security for them and their families.

In the Agriculture sector, flower workers claim they are living on the edge as taxes introduced in the sector threaten jobs for thousands of workers.

A member of the Kenya Plantations and Agricultural Workers Union claimed that investors are mulling quitting the Kenyan market because of the high taxes which in turn is threatening the jobs of workers.

“No one is talking about our job security, yet we know how the flower farms are struggling as a result of the high taxes,” said the worker on condition of anonymity.

Observers, however, are pessimistic over the prospects of Atwoli transforming the lives of workers.

Prof Charles Nyambuga, a researcher, argues that Atwoli’s current political stance makes it difficult for him to effectively champion for the rights of workers.

“When you look at the situation of workers today, the payslip tells the story very clearly.

Workers’ pay slips continue to shrink, yet there seems to be little effort being made to address that reality,” he argues.

 “Atwoli is not really helping workers. The moment a trade union leader goes to bed with the government, it becomes difficult for him to defend workers effectively. When union leadership becomes too comfortable with government, workers inevitably suffer because their voices are no longer being strongly defended.” 

Ndegwa Njiru, an advocate and a political commentator, claims Atwoli has not lived up to the expectations of workers.

“Trade unions are meant to challenge systems that oppress workers. They are supposed to cut the chains that bind labourers in factories, farms and offices. But when union leadership itself becomes part of the system that workers are struggling against, then the movement loses its strength,” he argues.

He claims that Cotu, under the leadership of Atwoli, has failed to provide adequate leadership to address the economic pressures facing workers.

Joshua Nyamori, a political pundit and a lawyer, however, believes Atwoli has done his best to empower workers.

“During his leadership, there have been significant structural changes that have improved the welfare of workers in Kenya. For example, the labour movement successfully lobbied for labour rights to be entrenched in the Constitution of Kenya 2010,” he says.

About three weeks ago, he was one of the notable voices who threw their support for the decision by Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja to surrender some of the county functions to the national government, a move County Government Workers believe spells doom for county staff.