Airport disruption looms as aviation workers hold firm on strike

Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU) Secretary-General Moss Ndiema (center) issues countrywide strike notice over employment irregularities in incorporating of NYS service men into the aviation industry. [Kanyiri Wahito, Standard]

The Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU) has maintained that its planned nationwide strike remains on course unless the government addresses its long-standing grievances.

Speaking on Thursday, July 23, KAWU Secretary General Moss Ndiema said the union remains open to negotiations but warned that industrial action would proceed if no agreement is reached.

"They have today, Friday and even Saturday. We are available for talks, but unless we have fruitful talks, then the strike cannot be avoided," said Ndiema.

The Sec-Gen warned that the planned strike would significantly disrupt aviation operations, saying workers had waited long enough for their concerns to be addressed.

"How much longer are we going to wait? There will be a strike, a devastating one," he added.

The remarks come days after the union issued  a seven-day strike notice on Friday, July 18.

In the notice, KAWU said the industrial action would affect operations at the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA), the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), Kenya Airways and Jambojet if the labour disputes remain unresolved.

The union accused aviation employers of disregarding court orders, frustrating the implementation of collective bargaining agreements (CBAs), victimising union members and undermining workers' rights.

According to Ndiema, the union's biggest grievance is the failure to conclude a Collective Bargaining Agreement, noting that some employers have operated without a CBA for nearly a decade.

He also accused KCAA of introducing new human resource policies without consulting workers, alleging that the changes downgraded employees' job grades while increasing salaries for senior management.

Other grievances include KCAA's continued employment of workers on contract despite a court order directing the authority to absorb them into permanent and pensionable terms by the end of last year, the deployment of National Youth Service (NYS) personnel to perform airport security and firefighting duties, and alleged interference with disciplinary procedures at Kenya Airways.