Azimio leader Raila Odinga has hit at the Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) for the silence even as the cost of living in the country continues to rise.
Speaking on Saturday, Odinga said it was quite ironic that it was the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE) that was raising a voice on behalf of Kenyans.
He said this is the time for Cotu which has been put in place to fight for the welfare of workers in the country to rise up and speak against the rising cost of living which has left Kenyans struggling.
“Yesterday we saw the Federation of Kenya employers talking and crying on behalf of Kenyans. The association which is in place to defend the rights of workers in the country which is Cotu is silent, we have not heard a voice from Cotu,” he said.
“This is the time for Cotu to be on the forefront talking and defending the rights of workers amid the rising cost of living but instead it is the employers federation crying on behalf of workers, Raila added.
The Opposition Chief said that Cotu had been pocketed by the government and could not openly speak out against the rising cost of living, terming it another ‘state capture’.
Cotu (K) is the largest association of workers’ unions in Kenya and was founded in 1965 to shape relations between employers and workers.
Of the country’s 42 trade unions, 36 belong to Cotu and they represent more than 1.5 million workers both in the public and private sectors of the economy.
Whether through negotiations for better wages and terms of employment or through tougher measures such as court action or labour strikes, trade unions have shaped the relations between employers and employees.
COTU has been their strongest common voice in those relations.
