Confusion as tea firm sacks clerks – Weekly Citizen

Weeks since Mogogosiek Group of Companies management gave out sacking letters to over 30 tea buying centre clerks, they are yet to appear before the management to defend themselves on the allegation that they were involved in green tea leaves theft. The clerks who were given show course letters are the only reliable clerks so far for the company and they have been working up to late hours though they are waiting to go home. A section of small scale tea farmers disclosed that they will not watch the management sack the clerks yet no case of complain from farmers for green tea leaves theft has been raised against them. As the clerks kept waiting a day with management, a section of farmers who were mentioned in the letters have threatened to challenge the management to explain why they were tarnishing their names.

Most of them are established farmers who told this writer that they have not engaged in buying green tea leaves since they have huge chunks of tea farms. The letters dated March 18 2020 to tea buying clerks accused them of duplication of green tea leaves records and as such, they were asked to explain the same. Investigations reveal that the board and management failed to get a working formula since the audit that was done may work against them since the clerks claimed they were not given time to defend themselves and are not part of audit outcome. It is also a failure to board of directors who failed to consult widely to an extend of management releasing the letters.

The motive is biased since only permanent clerks were given letters while temporary ones were spared an issue that is questionable and as the exercise was done without any criteria for new clerks to replace those given letters in case they are dismissed. By the time of going to press, the clerks who had been given letters were busy collecting green tea leaves but the board of directors and the management are mute on the same. Board of directors chairman Samson Mosonik when contacted over the issue, downplayed it saying it was a show-cause and not dismissal. The board of directors has failed in their mandate since the management are behind the entire process of clerks’ impending sacking. Small scale tea farmers have raised concern why the audit was only done in zone 9 and not in zone 8 where region five represents.

The audit report was conducted in Kapkoros Group of Companies and later sacked tea buying clerks. Now they are in Mogogosiek Group of Companies on the same mission. What is not clear is if Kapset and Rorok Tea Factories are the next after Mogogosiek, Boito and Kobel Tea Factories and what happens next. Region five regional manager Charles Manegene has remained silent on the subject at a time the clerks have been given letters. As the country is trying its best on how to end the spread of Covid-19, Mogogosiek board of directors and the management are busy working on how to sack the clerks.