COTU Boss Francis Atwoli during a past heated media briefing
Central Organization of Trade Unions (Cotu-K) Secretary General Francis Atwoli has broken his silence following massive pressure from members of the public for him to respond to recent reports of worker mistreatment and exploitation at Waridi Nuts processing plant.
Speaking out via a Tweet on Tuesday, Atwoli condemned the incident as “very unfortunate” and called on relevant government agencies to ensure that all employers meet the stipulated standards.
“Very unfortunate. During the 110th session of the ILC, the principle of a safe and healthy working environment was adopted as a Fundamental Principle and Rights at Work. This means that GoK, through MoLSP, has to ensure that ALL Kenyans have a safe and healthy working environment,” the firebrand political personality tweeted.
This blog highlighted the sad story of the helpless casual workers at the Kilifi-based cashew nut processing plant. They faulted its management for not adhering to health and safety guidelines.
Speaking to a local independent journalist, they accused the firm situated in Tezo Sub-Location of failing to provide the necessary equipment and safety gear, leaving them exposed to harmful oils with a deadly effect on their hands and skin.
Their shocking revelations came hours after a concerned Kenyan on social media started a conversation regarding the sensitive subject.
The Twitter user identified as Daniel Faraja had bumped into two workers at the company trading as “Waridi Nuts” and felt compelled to highlight their sad predicament.
In a thread of tweets, he shared unsettling photos showing the horrendous extent of damage to their hands; the fingers most affected.
The Plight of Workers at Waridi Nuts Processing Plant in Kilifi
The burns are caused by a chemical substance that is produced when obtaining the kern out of the cashew nut’s outer shell.
They do this by boiling the nuts, which is against the standard process where the nuts are roasted so that the oil burns up to reduce health hazards.
But the greedy owners of Waridi Nuts are hell-bent on harvesting every drop of oil at the expense of the well-being of their entire workforce.
To make matters worse, during a video interview with YouTube content creator “Ananda TV”, one worker revealed that the company pays them meager wages of as little as Sh30 per day.
This amount varies depending on the weight of the cashew nut produced.
Waridi Nuts pays them Sh6 per kilogram, with a daily target of 5 kilograms for every worker.
Mark you, they do not recompense them for extracting the oils, which are separately sold at ridiculous prices.
The greedy owners sell the same cashew nut at Sh1,500 per kilogram.
The oils sell for as much as Sh4,000 for each 500ml bottle.
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