Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU) has confirmed that workers will be on strike after airports across the country experienced a go-slow.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

While issuing a formal press statement on August 30, KAWU Secretary General Moses Ndiema said the strike took effect Sunday morning, affecting members working for the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) and Jambojet.

“We wish to inform the public the country and the users of our services rendered by our members that effective this morning our members went on strike more specifically. This is Kenya's Civil Aviation Authority Kenya Airports Authority and a Jammbo jet,” Ndiema stated.

Ndiema said the action followed the union’s decision to lift the suspension of a strike notice issued on July 20.

📌 What You Need to Know

He stated that the union had initially issued notices covering four organisations, including the national carrier, after raising several grievances concerning workers’ welfare and employment conditions.

According to Ndiema, KAWU later reached a framework agreement with the Ministry of Transport, and four more aviation employees to resolve the dispute, providing each employer to engage directly with KAWU and address the outstanding grievances raised in the July strike notice.

With this in mind, Ndiema stated that Kenya Airways had continued engaging the union, while the other three organisations failed to hold what KAWU considered productive discussions, thus the statement that saw thousands stranded across various airports nationally.

“We agreed on a framework agreement Where each employer was going to sit down with the union and address the grievances sadly With the exception of Kenya Airways,” Ndiema said.

Adding, “We therefore on Friday on Thursday this week or last week, paving way for the strike action that has commenced this morning.”

The union has insisted that for things to go back to normal, several unresolved issues have to be resolved, among them including alleged violations of collective bargaining agreements, salary concerns based on the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) recommendations, prolonged contracts, limited job security, and stalled career progression.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke