The Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary General Francis Atwoli has blasted Safaricom and its CEO Peter Ndegwa over a new management style being adopted.
Atwoli lambasted Ndegwa following reports that a majority of the company’s more than 6,000 employees had been asked to reapply for their current jobs.
He said COTU could not control Safaricom’s management style but said the move violates International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions on the protection of jobs and offends rights of workers.
“As reported in one of the local dailies today, the new CEO of Safaricom PLC Mr. Peter Ndegwa has caused a lot of anxiety among its more than 6,000 employees by asking a majority of them to reapply for their current jobs. It’s insensitive and inhuman, for Mr. Ndegwa, to bring about drastic changes at Safaricom PLC while infringing on the rights of workers who have built Safaricom to what it is today where it enjoys more than 30 million subscribers,” Atwoli said in a statement
He termed Ndegwa as the most dangerous CEO Safaricom has ever had, as far as protection of workers' rights is concerned.
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“It’s also shocking that even though Mr. Ndegwa is the first Kenyan Safaricom CEO, he remains the most dangerous CEO the company has ever had when it comes to protecting workers’ rights,” Atwoli said.
He further accused Ndegwa of causing depression among Safaricom employees in a rush for profits and asked the Board of Directors to fire him if he fails to change his managerial style.
The COTU boss added, “However, if Mr. Ndegwa doesn’t stop this forthwith, we appeal to the Board of Directors at Safaricom PLC, including other shareholders, to make sure that Mr. Ndegwa is relieved of his duties because of his poor managerial style that seeks to maximize profits at the expense of its employees.”
