| Résumé |
"Since 2012 Hivos, through the Women@Work Campaign has partnered with the civil society organizations to improve the status of women in the horticulture sector. In Kenya, Hivos has been carrying out interventions aimed at empowering and strengthening women’s leadership skills, human rights and labour rights understanding, promoting workplace gender-responsiveness as well as collaborating with key industry players and stakeholders in the horticulture sector to influence national, regional and international policies through lobbying and advocacy. The sting of Covid-19 is felt acutely in the flower sector in Kenya with many growers resorting to uprooting their flowers for disposal. As this happens, thousands of workers have lost jobs while hundreds are currently on 50% pay or unpaid leave. Trade unions have found themselves in an unfamiliar territory where the power to negotiate to save workers has been dimmed. This has further thrown workers into an abyss of helplessness with many of them now struggling to meet their basic needs.While appreciating the difficult terrain that employers in the flower sector currently find themselves, this report emphasizes the need for all parties to act in utmost good faith. The existing labour laws provide for consultation between employers and employees before the latter is sent home on unpaid leave. Further proposed amendments to the Employment Act have tightened protection of jobs against loss in the wake of pandemics. In the event employers are unable to pay salaries due to eventualities such as pandemics, they are expected by the proposed Bill to take measures to ensure retention of employees.”
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CDTM de Paris
Centre de ressources sur le commerce équitable
