Kenyan Tea Union opposes Browns Tea Plantation outsourcing plans amid job security concerns 

KENYA – The Kenya Plantation and Agricultural Workers Union (KPAWU) has strongly opposed Browns Tea Plantation’s plan to outsource key jobs in its Kericho, Bomet, and Nandi estates beginning October 2025.  

Union leaders say the move represents a backdoor retrenchment scheme aimed at eroding the rights of unionized tea workers. 

KPAWU Kericho Branch Executive Secretary Dickson Sang and his Bomet counterpart Jared Momanyi accused the Sri Lanka-based multinational of deliberately undermining employee protections.  

According to the union, at least 3,000 out of Browns Tea’s 10,000 workers have already been pushed into early retirement after their positions were declared redundant. 

Sang warned that outsourcing violates international labor standards and undermines Sustainable Development Goal commitments on decent work and economic growth. He said the plan threatens job security by exposing workers to lower wages, denying them benefits such as sick and annual leave, and restricting career growth.  

He also linked outsourcing to potential risks of exploitation similar to those uncovered by investigative reports on sexual abuse and child labor within the sector. 

Momanyi further accused Browns of violating its Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with KPAWU, alleging that 20 managers had been dismissed and replaced with Sri Lankan expatriates.  

He called on the Immigration Department to investigate whether the expatriates hold valid work permits, questioning why the company imported foreign experts instead of hiring locally. 

In a letter dated September 19, 2025, Browns Tea Plantation CEO Rajiv Bandaranayake invited permanent employees to apply for voluntary early retirement or separation, with applications due by September 21.  

The retirement package offers 2.5 times monthly pay as gratuity, one month’s salary for every year of service, notice pay, monetized leave days, and a one-way bus fare, as stipulated in the CBA. 

Despite these terms, KPAWU insists the offer is a ploy to replace current staff with outsourced labor. The union has vowed to challenge the move in court if not reversed. 

Earlier this year, Browns Tea became the world’s largest tea producer after acquiring Finlays Kenya and Lipton Tea, increasing annual production by 85 million kilograms.

The company currently operates 49 estates spanning more than 30,000 hectares in Sri Lanka and employs over 10,000 people worldwide. 

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