By ANITA CHEPKOECHMore by this AuthorAt least 2,000 workers are set to lose their jobs after James Finlays Ltd announced phased closure of its Kericho flower farm starting next month, citing high labour costs and persistent strikes. In a statement released on Wednesday, the firm said expensive labour and workers’ strikes had rendered the Kericho farms unprofitable. PHASED CLOSURE“The company has deliberately chosen a phased closure of the Kericho operations in order to minimize the impact on employees and their families. STRIKESLast year, James Finlay workers were part of 40,000 labourers who staged demonstrations demanding a 30 percent pay increment. Firms affected by the 2017 industrial unrests recorded losses as the more than 40,000 workers under the Kenya Agricultural and Plantation Workers’ Union (KAPWU) in Kericho, Bomet and Nandi downed their tools.

Source: Daily Nation April 26, 2018 14:15 UTC