Tuskys invites employees for fresh talks on pay cuts
DISPUTE: Tuskys Supermarkets has invited its employees for a meeting tomorrow in a second attempt to resolve a deadlock over the retailer’s plans to effect pay cuts.
An earlier meeting held on July 13 between the workers’ union and the troubled retailer failed to reach an amicable solution.
The negotiations followed an order by the Employment and Labour Relations Court issued July 3 where Judge Byram Ongaya instructed the troubled retailer to hold negotiations with its employees over plans to slash workers’ pay and restrain from effecting further pay cuts.
“The main agenda of your meeting shall be to seek assistance approaching the current business performance in a sustainable way as partners.
After the business took the option of salary cuts and with the matter coming up for determination, it has apparently become unsustainable,” said Tuskys in a letter to the Kenya Union of Commercial Food and Allied Workers (KUCFAW) dated July 20.
Non-committal
Boniface Kivuva, a KUCFAW Shop Steward, says although Tuskys has made attempts to clear the May, June and July salaries as ordered by the court, it is still non-committal about May salaries for 80 employees who were declared redundant when it closed down four outlets in Mombasa, Nairobi and Kitale.
“Eighty per cent of salaries for the month of May, June and July have been paid.
They promised to start paying the remaining 20 per cent for the aforementioned months before end of this month as ordered by the courts,” he said.
“They remain non-committal on payment of May salaries for the 80 redundant employees as per the court order,” he added.
