A Nairobi-based printing and packaging company is facing a legal battle after nine former employees filed separate lawsuits alleging systematic underpayment, denial of leave, abrupt termination, and exposure to hazardous working conditions without protective gear.
The employees, who worked at Precise Printpack Limited between 2020 and 2025, have lodged claims at the Milimani Law Court in Nairobi seeking damages totaling hundreds of thousands of shillings.
The claimants worked in various roles including machine operators, general workers, and production assistants.
Their periods of employment range from eight months to over four years, with some having joined the company as early as January 2020.
They claim underpayment of wages, failure to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) in hazardous manufacturing environments, denial of annual leave, and abrupt termination without notice.
One of the workers argued in her suit papers that her contract was abruptly terminated on September 2025 after working at the company for four years.
Her other colleagues filed similar suits through their lawyers Kariithi Njagi.
They sued Precise Printpack Limited directors Jayprakash P. Challa and Kalathil P. Dhananjayan.
According to court documents, one of them Miriam Nelima said she was employed as a general labourer performing cleaning, messenger duties, and production area assistance.
For over four years from January 2021 to February 2025 she was paid a daily wage of Sh500, significantly below the statutory minimum wage of Sh775.39 per day under the Regulation of Wages (General) Orders.
She calculated her underpayment at Sh328,264 over 1,192 working days.
Another claimant, employed as an assistant machine operator from January 2023 to September 2025, alleged underpayment of Sh271,738 over 720 days, with the company paying Sh500 daily against the statutory requirement of Sh877.41.
A third worker who served from March 2021 to September 2025 claims total underpayment of Sh200,955, including a period where he earned Sh13,000 monthly while the minimum wage for machine operators stood at Sh17,299, exclusive of housing allowance.
All claimants allege denial of accrued annual leave, with one worker claiming 88 unpaid leave days valued at Sh68,234.
The employment contracts reportedly contained a “use-it-or-lose-it” policy stating that unused leave days at the end of the fiscal year are forfeited without compensation, a provision the claimants argue violates Section 28 of the Employment Act.
Following demand letters from their advocates, the company paid leave dues for 2025 to some claimants, which they describe as a “partial admission of liability” that failed to address earlier accrued leave.
The claimants said they worked in manufacturing and production areas involving machinery, dust, chemicals, and other occupational hazards without being provided gloves, masks, overalls, or protective footwear.
One former worker who operated corrugation machines alleged she received no training on occupational safety despite performing manual cleaning and production support duties in hazardous conditions.
“The Respondent’s failure to provide appropriate safety gear exposed the Claimant to health and safety risks and amounted to a violation of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, 2007 and the Claimant’s constitutional right to fair labour practices and human dignity,” read the court documents.
Several claimants have also challenged a contractual clause providing for a “30-minute unpaid lunch break,” arguing that the break ought to have been paid as ordinary working time.
All the workers stated their employment was terminated on September 30, 2025, without notice or payment in lieu thereof.
They sought one month’s salary in lieu of notice, with amounts ranging from Sh16,116 to Sh32,000 depending on their monthly pay at the time of termination.
Through their advocates, the claimants issued demand letters to the company’s directors in February and March 2026.
The letters, copied to the Ministry of Labour, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, and the Kenya Human Rights Commission, demanded payment of outstanding dues.
The lawsuits seek various remedies including declarations of unfair labour practices, payment of underpaid wages, unpaid leave compensation, notice pay, general and punitive damages, interest, and costs of the suit.
Some claimants also seek orders compelling issuance of certificates of service.
The cases have been filed in the Magistrate’s Court at Nairobi, Employment and Labour Relations Division.
The respondent is yet file their side of the suit.
The matters have been slated for hearing on various dates between April 20 and May 8, 2026.
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