We celebrate Labour Day/International Worker’s Day each year on the 1st of May. Celebrations are organized by trade unions and their members, and they take time to highlight the labour environment in the country, and how it can be improved. Trade unions in Kenya are inextricably linked with our struggle for independence.

Makhan Singh is considered the father of the labour movement, having formed the Labour Trade Union of Kenya in 1935, and the East African Trade Union Congress in 1949. To mark this year’s occasion belatedly, we’re joined by Dr. Emily Odhong, a lecturer at Kiriri Women’s University of Science and Technology, and a labour relations consultant, to discuss the importance of the labour movement in Kenya. Press play!

Resources

The Employment Act (2007)

The Labour Relations Act (2007)

Industrial Relations Charter (1984)

Assessment Of The State Of Trade Unions in Kenya

Trade Unions in Transformation – Developing and Utilizing Power Resources: The Case of Kenya National Private Security Workers’ Union

Re-thinking Industrial Relations for Enhanced Organizational Performance in Kenya

Trade union movement leads the way in Kenya

KNUT joins COTU in drive for stronger labour union

Image credit: Africa Times