Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) secretary general Francis Atwoli has called on the state to take action against a Chinese national caught on a low-quality video maltreating a Kenyan employee.
The Chinese, said to be a senior at the TCM Mabati Factory in Eldoret, was seen clobbering the employee who restrained himself all the while.
Reacting to the clip, Atwoli described the events in it as disturbing.
"As COTU (K), we are appalled by this incident, which is a gross violation of the rights and dignity of the affected, and, as the voice and defender of Kenyan workers, we will not stand by and watch the dignity of Kenyan workers violated by some rogue Chinese employers operating within our borders," read a statement from COTU.
The organisation called on the state to initiate the importation of the foreigner.
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According to Atwoli, the state's silence on the matter would be akin to betraying Kenyans.
He formally addressed a request to Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and Labour's Alfred Mutua, seeking their intervention on the matter.
"COTU (K) demands the immediate deportation of the Chinese national captured on video assaulting a Kenyan worker at TCM Mabati Factory. Anything less would be a betrayal of the trust Kenyan workers have placed in your Ministry and the Government at large," read Atwoli's statement.
Atwoli further urged the ministries to undertake the deportation in collaboration with the Chinese authorities in the country.
This came days after another incident at the Export Processing Zone (EPZ), where another Chinese national was accused of maltreating junior workers.
Xiao Jianzhoung was accused of forcing employees to work excessively long hours without fair compensation or overtime pay.
He was also accused of, among other things, forcing employees to sing Chinese songs before and during work.
Atwoli sought the intervention of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, calling for the deportation of Xiao.
