Aviation workers issue seven-day strike notice over labour disputes

The country's aviation sector is facing the threat of another industrial action after the Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU) issued a seven-day strike notice affecting employees at the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), Kenya Airports Authority (KAA), Kenya Airways and Jambojet.

The union says the notice follows years of unresolved labour disputes, ranging from delayed collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) to concerns over job security.

KAWU says unionisable employees across the country's four major aviation employers — KCAA, KAA, Kenya Airways and Jambojet — will down their tools if the organisations fail to address the outstanding grievances within seven days from July 20.

"If we don’t come out between now and Saturday, if you don’t hear KAWU calling off the strike, make sure you have alternative means of travel," said KAWU Secretary General Moss Ndiema.

At the heart of the dispute, the union says, is the employers' failure to address workers' concerns. It accuses the organisations of delaying collective bargaining agreements, introducing new workplace policies without consulting the union and keeping some employees on temporary contracts for years despite plans to absorb them into permanent positions.

The union also alleges that some employees have been unfairly subjected to disciplinary action and is demanding the reinstatement of workers it says were wrongfully dismissed.

"For an organisation like Jambojet, with a total employee population of 400 or 450 employees, firing up to 45 of them in a single calendar year, I mean, it's something to get our attention. Something must be wrong. Are they recruiting the wrong people? If that is the case, then who is to blame?" Ndiema stated.

Another major concern raised by the union is the future of aviation jobs.

KAWU says the outsourcing of services, the deployment of National Youth Service (NYS) personnel to airport security and fire services, and changes to passenger screening at Wilson Airport are gradually displacing aviation workers from roles traditionally performed by trained airport staff.

"The intention to deploy 720 more NYS officers cutting across all airports, all airstrips, any aerodrome facility, is a misnomer because it directly threatens the jobs of our members," Ndiema added.

The union says that unless the outstanding disputes are resolved and its demands addressed within the notice period, workers across the four aviation organisations will proceed with industrial action.

"We have issues around crew allowance; some of it is not being paid. We have issues around what we call a tier system for our technical staff — those are the engineers — they are not getting their rightful dues," noted Ndiema.