Union protests delays in Tuskys staff theft probe

A workers union has written to Tuskys protesting against delayed investigations into alleged staff theft at the retail chain, which prompted the suspension of 91 employees.

The Kenya Union of Commercial Food and Allied Workers (KUCFAW) has accused Tuskys’ top management of failure to disclose the progress of ongoing investigations into the alleged theft by its members, and the “irregular” extension of their suspension from work.

“Parties met on June 11 where the issues were deliberated and agreed to share the outcome of the alleged investigations within two weeks from then. Before expiry of the two weeks, the employer called the affected employees and extended the suspensions indefinitely contrary to provisions of the parties’ collective bargaining agreement,” said the KUCFAW Nairobi branch secretary Mike Oranga in an interview.

The union has threatened to go to court if it does not get a response from the retail chain’s management.

Tuskys is Kenya’s second-biggest retailer by sales volumes after Nakumatt.

The supermarket chain’s chief executive officer Daniel Githua did not respond to our requests for comment.

“As of now no evidence has been brought against the over 90 employees who are now on suspension. In the absence of such evidence as in this case, it can easily be concluded that such action is driven by other considerations other than fraud allegations,” says the union in one of the letters to Tuskys management.

The union alleges that Tuskys called the affected employees and informed them that they had been suspended indefinitely.

READ: Tuskys suspends 91 Beba Beba employees in goods theft scam

Jeff Hamilton, a consultancy, has been called in to help in hiring new staff for the affected Beba Beba branch in Nairobi’s Central Business District.
“The union proposed a meeting with the employer on June 19 for deliberations whose request was declined,” said Mr Oranga.

“As things currently are, the union is working on an application to the industrial court for unfair lockout of the aggrieved employees,” he added.

Tuskys suspended the 91 employees early accusing them of working with an external cartel clearing goods from the store and later selling them to independent buyers and suppliers.

The investigation was triggered by poor performance of the branch which is located at a busy street near a bus terminus that is used by people commuting to work and leaving for home in the evening.

The branch management also failed to explain why numerous goods were missing from the shelves yet they had been supplied.

Tuskys sent seven branch managers on early retirement last month and later advertised for positions of eight senior staff.

During the same period, Mr Githua also transferred 39 branch managers.

The retailer is a family-owned business with a total count of 59 branches in Kenya and in the region. Last week, it re-opened its Uganda branch that has been shut down by health officials last year following accusations that it was stocking rotten meat.

The branch had stayed closed for 11 months.