Thousands of passengers were stranded or faced lengthy delays at Kenya’s busiest international airport on Monday as an airport workers’ strike entered its second day.
The industrial action at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi, was organised by the Kenya Aviation Workers’ Union (KAWU) over alleged poor working conditions and the failure to reach a collective bargaining agreement with the country’s Civil Aviation Authority.
The union has also accused the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) of failing to adequately support workers and rejected a proposal to deploy youth volunteers as airport staff.
KAWU leader, Moss Ndiema, said the union held talks with government officials on Sunday in an attempt to resolve the dispute, but the meeting ended without an agreement.
A 22-year-old traveller, William Obino, told the French news agency, AFP, that the disruption had affected passengers’ travel plans.
“Nothing is happening, updates are reaching us late. It’s ruining our itinerary,” he said.
Kenya Airways said its flights were departing about two hours behind schedule on average as a result of the disruption.
RwandAir, Rwanda’s national carrier, also said on Sunday that it cancelled two flights because of concerns over air traffic control operations in Nairobi.
Meanwhile, the Kenya Airports Authority said it was working with aviation agencies, airlines and other stakeholders to contain the disruption.
The authority said it was taking measures to minimise the impact of the strike and ensure the smooth flow of airport operations.
The strike is the latest in a series of labour disputes involving aviation workers in Kenya, with the union pressing for improved working conditions and formal collective bargaining arrangements.(Culled from DW)
(News Precise.Com)
