PHOTO CAPTION: A section of Erdemann Gypsum Ltd factory in Mwingi From the outside, Erdemann Limited prides itself as one of the few local-based gypsum board manufacturers in Kenya.
But away from the glaring eyes of the public, workers at their Mwingi-based factory have come forward with confessions that paint a rather sad picture of the current state of affairs inside the company.
They claim to be massively underpaid and forced to work extra hours with little compensation.
For instance, security guards are paid at a rate of Sh400 for every 12-hour shift.
Despite some of them earnestly working at the company for over four years, most of the workforce is contracted on a casual basis.
This means they cannot access crucial services like medical insurance, bearing in mind their hazardous working environment.
In case of sickness, they have to dig deep into their pockets to afford treatment. This is the same case for work-related injuries.
Most personnel at the factory operate heavy machines without appropriate gear, leaving them highly prone to such injuries.
On top of all this, there are no off days.
Failing to show up for work automatically means you are fired. "Good morning Nyakundi. I am reaching out to you to voice out injustice and unfairness done to workers of Ederman Gypsum Limited in Mwingi. The employer frustrates the workers from poor pay to working extra hours which is not recommended by labor laws. For example, there are security guys who are employed there and sometimes work for 12 hours per day and they are paid a mere Sh400 per day. One of them told me has worked there for around 4 years as a casual. Of all workers, less than 10% are on contract the rest are working as casual. They are overworked since they work from Monday to Monday. No day off no leave. If you fail to turn up for work you are thrown out since you have no contract with them. These workers are running machines without the required PPEs. They have no medical insurance in case you are injured you gather everything by yourself and to make it worst you will not be paid for the days you are under medication because you are a casual. I feel both national and county governments are failing these people. They need to do something. Kindly hide my identity," a source within the factory told this blog on Thursday, July 21, 2022.