The Export Processing Zone (EPZ) Athi River is situated 4 kilometers from Athi River town. It is composed of 56 different companies with a workforce of at list 400 workers in every factory.  The estimated total number of workers working in the 56 factories is 22,400 workers.

However some factories such as Protect & Mirage have a slightly larger number of employees of about 900 permanent employees and 80 to 100 casuals. The casuals are contracted daily depending on the availability of work. The specific work done in the factory includes: Cutting, stitching, verification, washing, ironing, packaging and Shipment.

Health Welfare & Safety

There is a clinic within the zone that mainly caters for the staff. This benefit does not extend to their families. Only injuries sustained in the workplace are treated.  These clinics do not provide adequate services as required by law.  Workers are therefore forced to seek alternative treatment outside the zone at their expense.

Protective Gears

Cutters and washers are provided with gumboots, gloves, nose masks, and dustcoat.  However machines handlers are not provided with finger guards. Moreso, new workers are not trained on handling machines. By law every worker who is handling machines must first be trained on how to safely use it.  They should also be aware of the dangers involved when using the machines.  If the machine that a worker is using is insured, the user must also be insured according to the law.

Leave

As per the memorandum of understanding workers are granted leave of 22 days with pay per year.

Maternity Leave

Workers are granted 2 months maternity leave.  If one takes more than 2 months, she has to forfeit her annual leave.  Paternity leave is not granted.

Occupational Diseases

The most common diseases that affect the workers are chest pain, flu and nose bleeding.  This is caused by machines and dust.  The management and the union have not done anything about this issue.

Discrimination

Most common forms of workplace discrimination include:

• Being forced to work for long hours to meet the employer’s targets
• Transfer from one department without request
• Promotion based on management relations
• Use of abusive language against African employees mostly by Indians and Sri-lanka’s brought into the country as expatriates by the owners of the firms.

Union Membership: The Kenya Tailoring and Textile workers Union (T.T.W.U)

The union has a membership of 700, out of a total of 22,400 workers in the zone.  The reason for low membership is that 60% of the workforce consists of women who still do not understand the benefit of being in the union and claim that the union mainly caters for the needs of men.  Workers who join the union are deducted 2.5% of their basic salary.

Wages

The basic salary of employees in the zone is Kshs. 4,150 plus a house allowance of Kshs. 750 and Kshs. 250 bonus.  Therefore an employee takes home a total pay of Kshs. 5,150 per month.  They also earn more cash by working overtime.  An employee could work for about 13 to 15 overtime hours per week.  Night shift workers are paid night shift allowance of Kshs. 5 per hour.

Specific Problems experienced by workers in Athi River EPZ

• Wages/Salaries are very low.  The pay is too low in comparison with the cost of living today.
• Medical cover is not provided.  There are staff clinic, which cater for minor illnesses that arise form workplace occupation.  The service is not extended to family members of the employees.
• Workers are not compensated for workplace injuries as provided by law.
• Transport to and from work is not provided considering that some factories are 4km away from town.
• Lack of irregular meetings between the staff and the management. 
• An employee loses his/her gratuity pay if he/she decides to resign.

Reprinted from Fahari Kazini - A Labour Awareness and Resource Centre (LARC) Newsletter Issue 003 October - December 2005.