| Kenyan strike shows trouble brewing for tea giants
A strike by more than 10,000 tea pickers in Kenya in East Africa has won an 8 percent pay increase. The workers, members of the Kenya Plantation and Agricultural Workers Union (KPAWU) took action in more than 18 estates in the Kericho region. The estates are owned by Unilever Tea Kenya (UTK), which produces brands including PG Tips. Unilever is the world�s largest tea producer, with 12 percent of the world market. The strike, which started on Saturday 8 September, featured bitter confrontations with scabs. The tea industry in Kenya employs 63,000 workers, but tea pickers were traditionally very poorly paid. Interviewed about life as a tea picker, one worker said, "Life here is hard. We work continuously from dawn to dusk, come rain or shine." Another, who has worked picking tea for 34 years, said, "Age is not an issue because I need to work for my family.
Turkey's exotic call: Eurasian flavorings influence culture mix
Next time in Istanbul, I'm hiring the Screaming Shopper. It was a hot July day when I was cooling my heels in the hotel bar waiting for friends. But the party had to wait until Joe and Mary Lou Rimsky finished their four-hour shopping blitz at the Grand Bazaar. This was no small venture. The Rimskys were prowling for three new Turkish rugs for their Cincinnati home. Shopping for Turkish rugs is a complex ritual of tea-drinking and rug-unfurling, so the thought of scoring three in a matter of hours boggles the mind. The Grand Bazaar boggles the eyes, the ears and the mind, with more than 4,000 shops spread over 61 streets under one roof. It's fascinating and confounding, with pulsating colors and beckoning vendors. Please, have a cup of tea and see our rugs.
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