The looming strike by aviation workers is once again a threat in the Kenyan aviation industry after the Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU) threatened the industry with a strike after the failure of wage negotiations with the government and the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA).
Trade union representatives said yesterday that the failure to resolve the impasse in the past several years had brought the employees to the brink, with the threat of grounding flights across the country and bringing airport operations to a halt if the matter is not resolved within a week.
Aviation Workers Strike Due to Long-Running Disputes Over Pay
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, KAWU Secretary General Moses Ndiema explained that the aviation workers had tried all the options, including court-ordered mediation, but the negotiations had broken down again.
This is according to the union, which claims that some of the employees have not had a salary review in over 11 years. This is despite the matter having been constantly brought up with the management. This was explained by Ndiema, who called the situation unfair, especially given the role that the staff play in ensuring that the country’s aviation system operates effectively.
“Our members have waited for so long. We have written letters, attended meetings, and even gone to mediation, but the situation remains the same,” Ndiema said.
The aviation sector strike, he said, is not a carefully considered action but rather a result of inaction.
In its warning, KAWU indicated that should the government and the KCAA fail to act within the notice period of seven days, the industrial action would escalate to a complete shutdown of the airspace in Kenya.
“We will close the airspace, ground everything, shut down all Kenyan airports. This is a warning,” said Ndiema.
These include stalled wage reviews, delayed promotions, and refusal to unionize eligible staff, according to the union. If this situation is not addressed, the strike by aviation workers will affect both local and overseas flights, according to KAWU.
A strike involving all aviation workers will affect all airports, including Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), which is Kenya’s busiest aviation hub. This is because JKIA serves an average of 8.6 million passengers per year.
With the clock ticking on the seven-day ultimatum, the lack of a statement from KCAA and the Kenya Airports Authority only seems to have heightened the sense of tension, with passengers and members of the aviation community holding their breath at the prospect of a further strike by the aviation workers.
