Cotu boss hits out at Safaricom CEO over new staffing scheme
CHANGES: Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu) has expressed concern over Safaricom restructuring plans and possible job cuts. In the plan, the telco seeks to break the hierarchical structure in the organisation and for the new system to be set in motion, the company wants all its 6,000 employees to reapply for their jobs.
Cotu Secretary General Francis Atwoli said job security of the workers are at stake, especially after being required to re-apply for their positions.
Umbrella body
While noting that the workers umbrella body has no control over Safaricom’s management style, Atwoli faulted CEO Peter Ndegwa for allegedly asking a majority of the company’s employees to reapply for their current jobs.
Atwoli said the move is inhuman, goes against the International Labour Organisation ( ILO) conventions on the protection of jobs, as well as an affront to workers’ rights.
“As Cotu (K), we don’t have control over the management style employers adopt from time to time, but we are highly concerned about the prospects of job security with the implementation of certain management styles,” he added in a statement.
He demanded that Ndegwa aborts his mission, which he claimed has caused anguish, despair, and depression among Safaricom employees.
Calling him the most dangerous CEO, Atwoli threatened to appeal to the Board of Directors at Safaricom Plc to have Ndegwa be relieved of duty if he goes ahead and cuts the telcos’ labour force.
“It has come to our attention that Safaricom Plc is on a mission to restructure its mode of management whilst at the same time doing away with some of its employees.
Atwoli said it was insensitive for Ndegwa to bring about drastic changes to the telco while infringing on the rights of employees.
The unionist further registered his surprise at Ndegwa’s managerial style, claiming that it appears aimed demoralising employees at a time the world is going through turmoil caused by Coronavirus (Covid-19 )pandemic.
