After negotiations with the government through the Ministry of Roads and Transport, aviation workers have now canceled their strike, which resulted in flight delays at major Kenyan airports.
The workers’ fierce opposition to the controversial Indian company Adani Group’s proposed acquisition of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) was the catalyst for the strike, which lasted just 24 hours.
An urgent return-to-work deal was achieved during a meeting that Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir orchestrated on Wednesday evening at the airport with senior airport management and Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU) leaders, led by Secretary General Moss Ndiema.
The agreement stated, among other things, that the workers would have veto power over the Adani deal and that no agreement would be signed by the government without their involvement and approval. Francis Atwoli, the secretary general of the Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU), who was present at the meeting, read the agreement.
Atwoli added that the aviation workers had received formal paperwork on the potential Adani deal in response to their demands, and they would have ten days to review them and voice any problems they may have.
According to Atwoli, the group decided to expedite the pending Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiations over the course of the following two months.
Even though the aviation workers were given assurances that they would not be victimized as a result of the go-slow, KAA Acting Managing Director Henry Ogoye also committed to speaking with registered union officials.
