Having never been questioned or deliberated before, interesting times lie ahead as the financial management of the umbrella Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) will be a subject of deliberation in the August House. This follows the filing of a petition in the Senate by nominated lawmaker Petronila Were who seeks to know how the trade union is supporting unionisable employees adversely affected by the Coronavirus disease.
In the Nominated Senator’s petition, Were wants to know how much each of the about 41 COTU affiliate unions contribute towards the COTU Emergency Fund and how much has been collected by COTU from affiliate labour unions so far towards the fund of the umbrella labour union. Additionally, she is also seeking information regarding the amount of money that has been collected by COTU affiliate unions from their members towards emergency funds of their respective labour unions and the nature of emergencies for which the emergency funds administered by COTU and its affiliate labour unions cover as stated in her petition below:
“Pursuant to Standing Order 48 (1), I seek a Statement from the Standing Committee on Labour and Social Welfare regarding support for unionisable employees adversely impacted by COVID-19, from the Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) emergency fund as well as similar funds of the about 41 Cotu affiliate labour unions.”
In its response, Were wants the Standing Committee on Labour and Social Welfare to “State the criteria for qualification of members to benefit from the emergency funds under COTU and its affiliate labour unions; provide information on the number of unionisable employees who have lost their jobs per sector since the first case of COVID-19 was reported in the country.”
Regarding the fate of unionisable employees who have lost their source of employment of faced difficulties as a result of the pandemic, Were wants to know how they have benefitted from from emergency funds under COTU and its affiliate labour unions and how much has been remitted to the affected union members.
Many Kenyans have lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic with those most affected being workers from the Kenya Hotels and Allied Workers Union, Kenya Aviation and Allied Workers Union, Kenya Plantation and Agricultural Workers Union, Kenya Union of Entertainment and Music Industry Employees, Kenya Long Distance Truck Drivers and Allied Workers Union, Kenya Union of Hair and Beauty Salon Workers (KUHABWO), among others.
Of late COTU Secretary General Francis Atwoli has been holding high-level political meetings his home in Isinya, Kajiado County.
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