CAPTION: Ashut Engineers Ltd Director Mr Mehul Shah
In this latest expose, Ashut Engineering Limited continued its mistreatment of workers by trashing labour laws.
A source in the firm whispered to cnyakundi.com that the severance package that was supposed to be paid to workers that were declared redundant has not gone as promised.
Some workers were forced to sign suspension letters under police watch for trumped-up charges.
A meeting with the workers’ union leaders never materialized forcing some to head to the Central Organization of Trade Union (COTU) offices but they did not receive any help.
It appeared that both COTU and the workers’ union were compromised. Officials at COTU took off arguing that they are busy while the officials at the workers’ union didn’t provide any explanation for missing in action.
READ: Tax evasion at Ashut Engineering Limited
Local media houses have also refused to cover the plight of workers at the rogue engineering firm.
According to our source, workers are only demanding payment of the severance package after having been declared redundant. Some wonder how the company claims to be broke, yet it recently shipped a consignment to Kilifi to a new workshop worth over Sh1.5 million per month.
Ashut Engineering had issued redundancy letters to over 600 workers, whom the court sided with that they should be paid their dues.
READ: More Ashut Engineering LTD Staff/Ex-Staff Give Testimonies About Oppression, Tax Evasion and Bullying
Instead of paying severance package, the firm called the GSU police unit on workers.
“Bro vipi can u imagine leo tumeitiwa GSU morning tukienda kupewa suspension letter natushakaa mtaani a whole week, alafu story za redundancy nishaconfirm from my union general secretary’s office uskii tuko na zeros after working for all those years. Msee anakupee zero na ana expect we we uendelee kumfanyia job,” a distraught worker narrated.
Despite redundancy letter being issued a month ago, some wokers are wondering how long they have to wait for justice.
COTU, other Union and the media have all failed Kenyan workers.
A police landcruiser at the premises of Ashut Engineering Limited. Workers were being forced to sign a new contract. A few days later, they were being teargassed for refusing to bow to the demands of the rogue firm
Due to desperation among the workers, the Indian owners of Ashut Engineering have asked staff to apply for the job afresh. This is done in order to beat labour laws on redundancy pay.
One morning while some had gone back to work, they found the police and officials of the company waiting for them to sig new contracts. They ganged up and chased way the officials as police watched.
“Hio ni paper ya redundancy kila mtu alipewa last month 25th one month ishaisha and this fellas don’t want to pay us our dues bro,jana tunaenda kwa kampuni tunapata contractors na polisi and we apply job afresh through the contractor,tuliwatoa mbio the police were behind us cz thy knew we are demanding our right,hakuna job inaendelea hio place up to now untill watulipe pesa yetu kulingana na sharia”
However, a few days later, a new batch of rogue police officers fired live bullets into the crowd luckily, no one was injured.
READ: Ashut Engineers Ltd circumvented labor laws to avoid honoring Collective Bargaining Agreement
The workers are appealing to media houses to head to the company and cover their story.
Cnyakundi.com has always maintained that for Kenyans working with Indians, it is 1619 every day. Though we have advised that workers should file petitions as per Article 37 of the constitution, we have since established that the weak point is the judiciary and relevant authorities meant to handle such cases.
Live bullets were fired during one of the protests to demand rightful payment of redundancy dues
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