The talks are set to involve the Ministry of Roads and Transport, Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, KAA Management and KAWU.
Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) on Sunday, August 18 assured members of the public and stakeholders that operations at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and all Kenyan airports as well as airstrips would continue as usual.
This followed an announcement by the Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU) Secretary General Moses Ndiema that the union had postponed its upcoming strike that was set to begin on Monday, August 19.
The authority in a statement revealed that the suspension of the strike was to allow for talks to take place between KAWU and the government over plans to lease JKIA to India’s Adani Airport Holdings Limited.
The talks are set to involve the Ministry of Roads and Transport, Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, KAA Management and KAWU.
Entrance to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi. /MARVIN CHEGE.VIRALTEAKE
“Further to the statement released on Friday, August 16th, on the above-stated subject, Kenya Airports Authority would like to inform the public and all its stakeholders that the 7-day strike notice announced on Monday 12th August 2024, stands Postponed,” KAA announced.
“This was stated by the Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU) Secretary General, Mr Moses Ndiema in his press statement dated 17th August 2024 where he noted that the 7-day strike notice is postponed to give the ongoing discussions between the Ministry of Roads and Transport, Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, KAA Management and Kenya Aviation Workers Union time to reach an amicable conclusion.”
On Saturday, the union announced that it was postponing its strike for two weeks following an invitation to talks by Labour Cabinet Secretary (CS) Alfred Mutua.
“On Wednesday, we were invited by the CS Labour Alfred Mutua and after lengthy deliberations, we were requested to pose our strike actions and allow dialogue to take place,” Ndiema stated.
“We also got an invite from the Transport CS David Chirchir for Tuesday next week. After we have held our delegates meeting today, we have agreed that we will delay our strike action for two weeks.”
CS Mutua met with KAWU officials on Thursday, August 15 to discuss their concerns over the potential privatization of JKIA and its impact on job security.
The workers were concerned that the deal could lead to job losses. JKIA handles over 7 million passengers per year, 98,975 aircraft movements, and 1.2 million tonnes in capacity.
The union had previously expressed outrage at the deal to lease JKIA to Adani, with reports that the agreement involved a 30-year concession for the Indian firm to build and operate the airport facilities before eventually transferring them back to the Kenyan Government.
Mutua had also stated that he committed to mediating between the aviation workers, the Ministry of Transport, KAA, and the national airline Kenya Airways to address the issues raised by the union.
“I strongly urge all unions in the country to refrain from making strike action their first recourse in resolving disputes. We should strive to give dialogue a chance first, especially as many of us in the Cabinet are still settling into our new roles following recent changes in government,” he added.
“I appreciate the union’s willingness to consider my request for dialogue. I am hopeful that they will consult their members on the matter of suspending the strike and arrive at a suitable solution.”
The meeting came after JKIA workers called for the resignation of the facility’s top officials to avert the planned strike, with KAWU affirming that they would only have a sit down with the government if the KAA board of directors and other top leaders at Kenya Airways resigned.
