Tuskys employees’ planned strike averted
Employees of the Tuskys chain of supermarkets have opted to shelve their plans for a strike this week. Nairobi News understands the employees numbering about 3,000 in a number of the stores around the country had earlier opted to down their tools to paralyze operations during the festive season, as a way of protesting poor pay and working conditions.
A change in strategy by the Kenya Union of Commercial Food and Allied Workers (KUCFAW) saw the Tuskys employees choosing to “seek an alternative route for the time being” to unlock this impasse.
A survey conducted by Nairobi News over the past few days however shows that several employers of the chain of supermarket remain frustrated by among other things, salaries and failure by management to implement previously discussed terms of engagement.
“It is very frustrating to work in an environment where there is so much food and money, but you go home empty handed at the end of the day,” an employee based at Tuskys Supermarket, Greenspan Mall told Nairobi News.
MONTHLY PAY
Employees at the institution take home a monthly pay ranging from 15,000 and 25,000 depending on the years of service, expertise and job description.
The current development comes at a time of the year that provides a “high season” for shopping outlets as shoppers consistently come in large numbers to purchase food stuffs, drinks, and clothes alongside uniforms and books in readiness for the new education calendar.
This is the second time within the past year that the supermarket is facing employee unrest. The previous case occurred last December when a strike by the workers paralyzed operations in several stores across the country.
Tuskys Supermarket Limited owns 60 branches in Kenya and 7 in Uganda and is the second largest chain of supermarkets in the country behind Nakumatt.