Kenya aviation workers end strike that disrupted flights, officials say

By George Obulutsa and Vincent Mumo Nzilani

NAIROBI, Sept 1 (Reuters) – Kenya’s aviation workers have called off a strike that disrupted flights at its main international and other airports, Transport Minister Davis Chirchir and aviation workers union head, Moss Ndiema, said on Tuesday. 

The strike, mostly by air traffic controllers on Sunday and Monday, disrupted several flights into and out of the main Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and delays spilt over to regional airports in East Africa and beyond.

The union, the airport and civil aviation authorities, and low-cost airline Jambojet signed a return to work agreement to end the strike while negotiations on all outstanding issues continue, they said in joint statement.

“We have looked at various issues … with very clear guidelines … on how we are going to deal with the three CBAs (collective bargaining agreements) which have been suspended since 2015,” Chirchir said on Tuesday.

Ahead of the strike, the Kenya Aviation Workers’ Union (KAWU) had said their action stemmed from long-running grievances involving the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, airports operator Kenya Airports Authority (KAA), and Kenya Airways’ low-cost subsidiary Jambojet.

“We are simply calling off our strike action and pleading with our members to begin the process of normalising operations, restoring services,” Ndiema told a press conference. 

“For those who are on duty, we are asking them to begin clearing flights.”

KAWU Secretary General Ndiema had said previously that the union wanted court-backed intervention, citing the lack of a collective bargaining agreement at the Civil Aviation Authority, delayed salary reviews, a dispute over union dues at KAA, and what he described as victimisation of union members at Jambojet.

Passengers at the main Nairobi airport earlier reported waiting for hours for updates as the disruption stretched into a second day on Monday. 

Airlines operating routes to and from airports in Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, Somalia and Mauritius were forced to cancel and reschedule flights due to the disruption in Nairobi.

(Reporting by George Obulutsa and Vincent Mumo Nzilani; Editing by Tom Hogue)