Hundreds of Finlays workers to lose jobs on Christmas Day

By , K24 Digital
On Mon, 21 Oct, 2019 13:20 | < 1 min read
Finlay flowers
Hundreds of workers at two Finlays factories are set to lose their jobs on Christmas Day. PHOTO | FILE
Hundreds of workers at two Finlays factories are set to lose their jobs on Christmas Day. PHOTO | FILE

On Christmas Day as other Kenyans celebrate the birth of Jesus, workers at two of Finlays factories will be wondering where their next meal will come from.

In a letter dated October 18, 2019, the multinational flower farm announced it was going to close down Chemirei and Tarakwet farms on December 25, 2019.

Finlays General Manager Stephen Scott blamed the closure of the two farms on increasing cost and over-supply.

"Due to an over-supply in the European market and decreasing demand, the price of roses has remained very low.

As a result of this and other challenges, including a weakening exchange rate, extreme weather conditions and high labour costs, the Directors of James Finlay (Kenya) Ltd have made the decision to close Chemirei and Tarakwet Farms earlier than initially communicated," said Scott.

All the employees will be laid off, including those who had been seconded to the Murara Plants Ltd will be affected by the factories' closure.