https://en.sputniknews.africa/20230711/kenyan-workers-allowed-to-sue-scotland-based-tea-firm-over-workplace-injuries-1060477014.html
Kenyan Workers Allowed to Sue Scotland-Based Tea Firm Over Workplace Injuries
Kenyan Workers Allowed to Sue Scotland-Based Tea Firm Over Workplace Injuries
Sputnik Africa
The Finlays group was founded in Scotland's Aberdeen in 1750, and is one of the world's largest producers of tea with operations on five continents. 11.07.2023, Sputnik Africa
2023-07-11T18:52+0200
2023-07-11T18:52+0200
2023-07-11T18:52+0200
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A group of Kenyan farm workers have been allowed to sue James Finlay Kenya, a major tea producer registered in Scotland. More than 2,000 workers have charged the firm with plantation working conditions that led to "musculoskeletal injuries" and demand compensation.The company claimed the lawsuit had no relation to Scotland apart from the historic address of the incorporation and that the complaints should be dealt with in Kenya.The plaintiffs, in turn, insisted that since the firm was registered in Scotland, the case should be heard there. The workers' attorney Patrick McGuire called the court's decision historic.At a previous hearing, the court heard allegations that tea pickers were told to regularly work 12 hours a day without a break six days a week, receiving an average monthly wage of £100 in 2017.The employees also complained that they had to harvest at least 30kg of tea in order to get paid anything.The Finlays' spokesman in turn said the company was "legally established" in Kenya, thus, the complaint should be heard in Kenya.
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Kenyan Workers Allowed to Sue Scotland-Based Tea Firm Over Workplace Injuries
The Finlays group was founded in Scotland's Aberdeen in 1750, and is one of the world's largest producers of tea with operations on five continents.
A group of Kenyan farm workers have been
allowed to sue James Finlay Kenya, a major tea producer registered in Scotland.
More than 2,000 workers have charged the firm with plantation working conditions that led to "musculoskeletal injuries" and demand compensation.
The
company claimed the lawsuit had no relation to Scotland apart from the historic address of the incorporation and that the complaints should be dealt with in Kenya.
The plaintiffs, in turn, insisted that since the firm was registered in Scotland, the case should be heard there.
The workers' attorney Patrick McGuire called the court's decision historic.
"It is almost impossible to overstate the importance of today's judgment. It is a historic day in Scots Law," McGuire was quoted as saying by the British media. "It serves as a stark message to every company based in Scotland that they must take their employees' safety seriously no matter where they work around the world."
At a previous hearing,
the court heard allegations that tea pickers were told to regularly work 12 hours a day without a break six days a week, receiving an average monthly wage of £100 in 2017.
The employees also complained that they had to harvest at least 30kg of tea in order to get paid anything.
The Finlays' spokesman in turn said the company was "legally established" in Kenya, thus, the complaint should be heard in Kenya.
"We believe that the proper place to address allegations brought by Kenyan citizens regarding their employment in Kenya is in the Kenyan Courts," the spokesman said.
