Part of Mombasa Port Operations Paralysed For Two Weeks As 6,000 Warehouse Loaders Strike

Port operations in Shimanzi Terminus in Mombasa have been paralysed for over two weeks due to an ongoing strike by warehouse loaders.

The over 6,000 warehouse loaders are protesting a move by their employer to reduce their wages for loading 50-kilogram sacks from Ksh10 to Ksh7.5 each and the price of loading 90-kilogram sacks from Ksh20 to Ksh15 each.

Furthermore, the warehouse loaders have complained of harassment and frustration from the employers, who have turned a deaf ear to their pleas.

According to the loaders, the reduction in wages has made their lives difficult as they can hardly meet their daily needs. The workers have blamed the infiltration of brokers in the business.

“The employers are abusing us, they have let brokers infiltrate the business and pay us wages. Why would someone pay you Ksh7 to carry a sack worth Ksh2600? We are unable to pay rent, buy food, and sustain ourselves,” one of the workers complained.

“We only recognize the previous pay. There is no way we can allow them to drop our wages. We will not accept being paid the new wages. They either revert to the previous pay or we don’t go back to work,” another worker echoed.

The workers have revealed that they are unable to pay for necessities like National Social Security Fund (NSSF) and Social Health Authority (SHA) due to the poor wages.

Police officers have been forced to man the warehouses as they try to calm the protesters who have vowed not to return to work until the wages are revised.

For two weeks now, the operations have been paralyzed posing a threat to the country’s economy.

The workers are now calling on President William Ruto to intervene and help them fight for the wages to be maintained as before. They have alleged that with the new wages, they can hardly survive.

“We are calling upon the government to intervene and help us. This is just a seasonal casual job, and if we are paid little money, we don’t make anything out of it,” the workers reiterated.

For a permanent solution, they want the government to review the Labour Laws so as to shield them from devious employers and brokers.