Operations at Kenya Ports Authority crippled as workers strike

Striking Mombasa Port workers outside the administration and operations block, Thursday. The workers downed their tools demanding better pay from the Kenya Ports Authority. [PHOTO: GIDEON MAUNDU/STANDARD]

Mombasa, Kenya: A strike by over 5,000 Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) workers has paralysed operations at the Mombasa Port, worsening the already fragile chain of distribution to the region’s landlocked countries.

The go-slow over low pay has stalled key operations, including delaying goods destined for local and to Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi.

Thursday evening, negotiations between workers’ representatives broke down, with the Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu) blaming the KPA management for the paralysis and being “retrogressive”.

Cotu Secretary General Francis Atwoli lashed at the ports authority,  accusing it of frustrating workers by dragging negotiation for improved terms of service for unionisable employees.

“KPA’s attitude amounts to retrogressive behaviour and impunity,” reckoned Atwoli in a statement, adding that the KPA managers should be held responsible for the strike.

“Whereas the Dock Workers Union (DWU) has since the beginning of the year shown every commitment towards ensuring that the CBA is completed on time and workers benefit, the KPA management has continued to frustrate these efforts by engaging in delaying tactics for the simple reason that they think they will incur an extra cost with the completion of the CBA,” Atwoli noted.

The Cotu boss demanded that KPA management unlocks the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), deadlock and completes the talks to allow for salary increase.

Operations at the port were paralysed yesterday after workers abandoned work at all stations.

The CBA negotiation teams from KPA and DWU have differed on commuter allowance, with the latter demanding an eight per cent increase.

This translates to Sh19,000 for the highest paid docker and Sh13,000 for the lowest paid unionisable employee.

KPA top officials led by chairman Mr Danson Mungatana and the executive committee of the DWU were locked in a  meeting, as they sought to resolve the stalemate.

Work at both the busy container terminal and conventional cargo areas were affected, as the 5,100 unionisable KPA workers protested over delay in concluding the CBA, which promises them better salary and allowances.

Work in the operations and engineering departments, which facilitate the movement of cargo through the port, was grounded, leaving port users frustrated.

The strike raised fears that both containers and cargo could pile up unless the workers’ salary issues are resolved. Kenya International Freight and Warehousing Association Mombasa Chairman Roy Mwanthi expressed fear that there could be serious cargo congestion unless the dispute was promptly resolved.

“The port handled a lot of raw materials and any delay would affect manufacturers. This will in turn affect economies of the East African region,” said Mwanthi.

Mr Mungatana and Simon Sang, the DWU general secretary, addressed workers at the KPA headquarters yesterday afternoon assuring them that negotiations were still in progress.

Mungatana announced he would convene a special board meeting today to give the KPA team involved in the CBA negotiations mandate to proceed with the exercise so as to forestall further delays in reaching an agreement.

Negotiations

“The negotiations will resume tomorrow. We are making good progress and the matter will be resolved amicably,” Mungatana assured.

Media access to the port was restricted yesterday as the management and union leaders were locked in the negotiations.

However, as the talks were ongoing, the striking workers were seen idling at the port facility.

There was fear of possible cargo congestion at the port following the protest.

DWU officials said yesterday that they had differed with KPA management over commuter allowance during the CBA negotiations.

Mr Sang and DWU chairman Mr Jeffer Kiti said they had successfully negotiated for improved salary, leave and house allowances, but reached a deadlock on the transport allowance.

“What we can tell you for now is that we cannot register the 2014/2015 CBA without striking a deal in the transport allowance. That is why there is tension at the port,” explained Sang.

Sources said talks collapsed because the DWU team wanted the commuter allowance to be raised from Sh12,000 a month to Sh13,000.

The two teams have been negotiating the CBA for the last one month.