NAIROBI, Sept 1 – Kenya aviation workers have ended their strike after the action disrupted flights at the country’s main international airport and other airports, with officials saying operations are expected to return to normal.
The strike, which was mainly carried out by air traffic controllers on Sunday and Monday, affected several flights arriving at and departing from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi. The disruption also caused delays at regional airports in East Africa and beyond.
Kenya’s Transport Minister Davis Chirchir and Kenya Aviation Workers’ Union (KAWU) Secretary General Moss Ndiema confirmed that the strike had been called off after the union, airport and civil aviation authorities, and low-cost carrier Jambojet signed a return-to-work agreement.
The agreement allows workers to resume their duties while negotiations continue on the outstanding issues between the parties.
“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.
Ndiema also asked union members to begin the process of restoring normal services, including clearing flights for workers already on duty.
The strike followed years of disagreements involving the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, Kenya Airports Authority and Jambojet, according to KAWU.
The union had raised several concerns, including the absence of a collective bargaining agreement at the Civil Aviation Authority, delays in salary reviews, a dispute over union dues at Kenya Airports Authority and what it described as the victimisation of union members at Jambojet.
Before the strike was called off, passengers at Nairobi’s main airport reported waiting for hours for information as the disruption continued into Monday.
The effects were also felt outside Kenya, with airlines operating flights to and from Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, Somalia and Mauritius cancelling or rescheduling services because of the disruption in Nairobi.
With the return-to-work agreement now in place, aviation workers are expected to resume normal duties while discussions on the outstanding labour issues continue.
