肯尼亚小巴司机为生计无法罢工

A Kenyan labor organization has called for minibus drivers to strike across the country this week to protest high fuel costs. But many drivers went to work anyway, saying they can not afford to miss a day's work.

肯尼亚的一个劳工组织本周呼吁全国小巴司机举行罢工，以抗议燃料价格过高。但是，很多小巴司机还是继续工作。他们说，他们损失不起一天的收入。

It was supposed to be quiet on the streets of Nairobi, after the Central Organization of Trade Unions in Kenya (COTU) urged minibus drivers to keep their “matatus” in park. But with so many customers traveling out of the bustling capital to visit their family homes and villages for the holidays, the drivers decided they could not sit idle.

内罗毕的街头应该是沉寂的。因为肯尼亚劳工联盟中央组织曾经呼吁小巴司机把他们的车辆停在公园。可是，由于这个肯尼亚首都有这么多的旅客要利用假日外出探访亲友和前往乡间，司机们决定，他们不能静坐着不顾生意。

Dennis Kiboni stood by his matatu, waiting for passengers on a busy downtown street corner.

丹尼斯·基彭尼在闹区街头，站在他的小巴旁边等候顾客。

“Yeah it is a busy time, it is a festival season, business is booming it is on a peak," he said. "How can we strike when business is booming, it is on a peak? It is very hard.”

他说：“这是一个繁忙的时刻，一个假日的季节，生意兴旺极了。我们怎么能够在生意大好时候罢工？这很难办到。”

The strike follows labor protests by doctors, teachers and postal workers, all demanding better wages.

这项罢工决定紧随在医生、教师和邮政工人抗议之后。他们的诉求都是改善待遇。

COTU Secretary General Francis Atwoli says the cost of fuel not only affects bus drivers' wages, but also makes Kenyan businesses less competitive in the region.

肯尼亚工业组织中央组织的秘书长法兰西斯·阿特沃里说，燃料价格不只影响到小巴司机的收入，也削弱肯尼亚厂商在这个地区的竞争力。

“If you go to Uganda, Tanzania and what have you, the prices on petrol are cheaper compared to Kenya," said Atwoli. "And this has pushed everything high. Even the cost of production here in this country is high, most of our factories are closing down because we do not have a constant supply of electricity.”

他说：“如果你要到乌干达、坦桑尼亚等国家，当地的油料价格就比肯尼亚便宜。这一点导致所有物价上涨。甚至肯尼亚的生产成本也高了。我们的工厂大多数都关闭了，因为我们没有持续供应的电力。”

Atwoli is calling for lowering fuel prices by 30 percent, and says the government has been responsive to union demands.

阿特沃里呼吁电费下降百分之30。他并且说，政府已经对工会的要求作出回应。

But while matatu drivers agree with the union's cause, many say even the warning of a strike, announced over the weekend, has kept customers away.

尽管小巴司机同意工会周末通知的罢工号召，但是很多人认为，罢工警告使顾客们不去光顾小巴生意。

One driver, Gabriel, sat in a line of parked vehicles, waiting for enough passengers to make his route north of town worthwhile.

一名名叫加布里埃尔的司机坐在他排列停靠的车上，等候足够的北上旅客上车，以便能在这趟行程中赚到一些钱。

“There is no passengers because they are fearing about the strike," said Gabriel. "It is very bad, because some of the owners of these vehicles are paying loans. And even us, workers, we want something to celebrate in December.”

他说：“我等不到旅客，因为他们都担心罢工。这样很糟，因为有些车主要付购车贷款。即使我们工作人员，也需要收入来度过12月份的节日。”Kenya's inflation rate rose to nearly 20 percent last month, driven up by rising food and fuel prices. The Kenyan shilling, which was in decline for much of the year against the U.S. dollar contributed to the rising cost of living.

上个月，由于食品和燃料价格上升，肯尼亚的通货膨胀上涨将近百分之20。由于生活开支上升，今年大多时候，肯尼亚货币“先令”对美元的比值下跌。

Desperate for relief from high prices, workers are growing more frustrated with the widening gap between the rich and poor.

肯尼亚劳工渴盼从高物价中获得解脱，他们对贫富之间的差异不断增大感到沮丧。

Another matatu driver, Francis, is waiting for customers in downtown Nairobi.

另外一名小巴司机法兰西斯在等候前往内罗毕市区的旅客。

“The more they push us, the more we will strike to those people, we will go to their houses and look for what we can eat there, in their fridge,” said Francis.

他说：“他们越是挤迫我们得厉害，我们越是要对他们罢工。我们要到他们家里，从他们的冰箱里找出我们能吃的食物。”

While Francis decided not to strike, he and the other drivers say there could be more work stoppages in the coming year, particularly during elections, if politicians do not start heeding calls for help.

虽然法兰西斯决定不参与这次罢工，他和其他司机们说，明年尤其是在选举期间，如果政客们还不留意到他们需要帮助的呼求的话，可能会出现更多的罢工行动。