After three days of disruption that brought airport operations close to a standstill, aviation workers have ended their strike following overnight negotiations between the government and the Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU).
The decision to call off the industrial action followed an urgent meeting convened by Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir on Monday evening. KAWU agreed to suspend the strike under a Return-to-Work Agreement signed by the parties on Monday, August 31.
Workers affected by the strike were directed to resume their normal duties immediately and cooperate with management to restore airport services.
The industrial action had caused major disruptions at airports across the country, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded and forcing airlines to delay or cancel flights. Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi and Moi International Airport in Mombasa were among the facilities most affected.
The strike involved workers from the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) and Kenya Airports Authority (KAA), with the disruption affecting several areas of airport operations.
KAWU had raised concerns over workers’ welfare, remuneration, working conditions and the implementation of employment benefits that had previously been agreed upon.
KAWU Secretary General Moses Ndiema said the union had earlier agreed to a framework under which individual employers would address the workers’ grievances.
“We agreed on a framework for each employer to sit down and handle the grievances. Apart from KAA, the other three refused to address our issues, which forced us to issue another strike notice on Friday,” Ndiema stated.
Under the new agreement, KAA will immediately remit agency fees owed to KAWU. The authority had previously held the funds, with the matter forming part of the union’s concerns.
The agreement also allows KCAA and KAWU to continue negotiations on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) withdrew guidelines it had issued in July and provided new parameters to guide the negotiations.
Although KAWU expressed reservations about some of the revised SRC guidelines, the union and government agreed that the remaining issues would be handled through negotiations.
KCAA management also committed to honour and implement the outcome of the CBA negotiations once an agreement is reached.
The Return-to-Work Agreement further protects employees who took part in the strike. It states that no worker should be victimised, intimidated, discriminated against or subjected to disciplinary action for participating in the industrial action.
With the strike called off, airport authorities are expected to work with aviation workers to restore normal services and clear the disruption that affected passengers and airlines over the past three days.
