CHILD LABOUR (CAMPAIGN AGAINST CHILD LABOUR) Introduction 1.

According to COTU (K) and its Affiliates, Child Labour is contentious in Kenya because it is a human rights issue afflicting over 1.9 million children in age-groups 6 years to 7 years. 2. These children are supposed to be attending primary school education as opposed to being subjected to exploitation and hazardous in work places. These affected children are the workers of tomorrow who are denied their education due to several causative factors but mainly arising from: A deficient primary school education system; too expensive, inadequate school places and harsh and unattractive to promote learning; yielding products that are unsuitable for the labour markets, 3. Poverty amongst Kenyans due to massive unemployment and underemployment in an economy that is unable to create jobs and provide sustainable employment for all economically active Kenyans. 4. Cultural practices that marginalise girl. The Trade Unions response to this scandal 2.1: COTU (K) and its affiliates are advocating that: y Schools and playgrounds are for children and all children must have access to

compulsory and free basic education up to a minimum age of 15 years; y Work places are for adults; y An educated labour force will strengthen the labour movement and improve labour productivity and create more wealth; y An educated labour force will promote social justice and democracy. On these grounds, COTU (K) and it's affiliates will campaign against the engagement of children in economic or commercial activities for again before they attain the age of 18 yeas. At its worst, this supply of labour by children prematurely, voluntary or through force harms the children's normal physical growth. 2.2: Already COTU (K) and its affiliates have established that children find jobs in: ECONOMIC SECTOR Agriculture Informal Sector including TRADE UNION CONCERNED - Kenya Plantation and Agricultural Workers' Union (KPAWU) - Kenya Union of Commercial Food and Allied Workers

commercial sex

(KUCFAW) - Kenya Local Government Workers' Union (KLGWU) - Kenya Union of Domestic Hotels Educational Institutions and Hospitals and Allied (KUDHEIHA) - Kenya Quarry and Mine Workers Union - Kenya National Union of Fishermen Workers (KNUFW)

Domestic Service Quarry and Mines Fisheries

Specific actions being taken by COTU (K) and its affiliates include: 1. To secure:o Observance of International Labour Organizations Core Convention No.138 on the Minimum age of Employment by Kenya in 1979, and o Convention 182 on the worst forms of Child Labour. o Observance of the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child ratified by Kenya in 1990, o Compliance with OAU Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, 2. To advocate for full implementation of the New Children's Act. No. 8 of 2001 and the recently ratified Convention 182 on the worst forms of Child labour which target: o Slave like labour practices, bonded or forced labour, > Sale of children by parents/relatives, o The use of children for prostitution and the production of pornographic performance or material and other illegal activities, o The exposure of children to hazardous work likely to jeopardize their health, safety and morals due to the manner of the circumstances in which it is performed or carried out, o Stop the employment for the very young (under 14 years) from any forms of work as well as giving special protection to girls 3. To enhance the knowledge and sharpen the sills of shopstewards and women workers at the grassroots in detection or identification of all forms of Child Labour and especially those listed at 3.2' and ascertain, document and make reports on non observance of the international instruments and non compliance with national legislation. 4. To advocate for the harmonization of National with International instruments. 5. To mobilize all stakeholders, including children themselves, to condemn the tolerance of child labour as a survival strategy for poverty stricken or marginalised groups in the Kenyan Society. 6. To establish and strengthen the capacities of Child labour as a survival strategy for poverty stricken or marginalised groups in the Kenyan society. 7. To establish and strengthen the capacity of Child Labour units at COTU (K) and its affiliates named at paragraph 2.3.

8. To advocate for the full implementation of the National Poverty Eradication Plan 1999 2015, aimed at removing poverty from approximately 2.5 million households who currently live below the poverty line

ECONOMICS AND RESEARCH DEPARTMENT This is a very important department to the organisation as it acts as a service department for not only the other departments but also to the affiliates . It is concerned with the collection , analysis and interpretation of data with a view of coming up with concrete supporting evidence in the support of workers cases at the negotiating table. The main functions of this department are :y Collection , analysis and interpretation of data for purposes of assisting die affiliates

y y y y y

prepare themselves adequately in the collective bargaining agreement negotiations process , Carrying out research on me changes in the costs of living indices Preparing background economic papers on behalf of COTU (K) on the national economic and Social issues . Assisting in the preparation of COTU (K) input, in our country's national budget . Assisting the affiliates prepare their submissions to the Industrial Court especially on issues in the collective bargaining agreements that are of monetary aspect. Providing resource persons who facilitate in workshops , seminars and conferences on topics such as calculation of cost of living indices , calculation of productivity changes , inflation trends , economics ,economic growth and economic development among other topics.

This department currently is also established in some of our affiliates and COTU (K) is striving to make sure that all its affiliates will have an economics and research department which is should be run by professional personnel. INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS DEPARTMENT The core functions of any trade unions has been recruitment of members and handling their grievances which is the mantle of the Industrial Relations department. The operations of this department are guided by the Trade Disputes Act Cap 234, the Industrial Relations Charter, existing labour laws and type International Labour organisation corrections. This department has handled trade disputes of employees and affiliates. There are four main types of trades disputes that are handled by this department namely:y An individual dispute - This is dispute between an individual employee and his/her

employer. y A collective dispute - This involves a group of workers or their representatives and one or more employers. Each and every claimant in this dispute must have the same kind of complaint. A rights disputer - This involves the interpretation or application of an existing right as laid down in labour legislation, collective bargaining agreement, an individual labour contract or an existing practice. An interests dispute - Involves a claim for future rights and this normally result from a deadlock in collective barging negotiations

The department performs the following functions:y y y y Handles workers grievances of both the members of our affiliates and non-members. Most of their kind of disputes emanate from unfair termination of employment. Handling on behalf of our affiliates disputes with employers as regards the collective bargaining agreement and its negotiation and implementation. Assist affiliates in the preparation of their submission to the Industrial court. Liaising with the other social partners namely the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE) and the Ministry of Labour and Human Resource Development on issues related to trade disputes. Offering advisory services to our afflicts