Scheduled flights or paralysed airports? Barring an unlikely last-minute agreement, Kenya is bracing itself for a fresh standoff between the judiciary and aviation unions. The High Court has suspended the national strike scheduled for Monday, but workers’ representatives have already made it clear that they have no intention of backing down.
The standoff between the judiciary and trade unions in Kenya’s sensitive civil aviation sector is intensifying. The High Court in Nairobi has issued an order temporarily suspending the national strike called by the Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU), upholding the appeal lodged by employers and scheduling a new hearing for next week.
The court’s decision, however, does not appear set to halt the protest. KAWU General Secretary Moss Ndiema has reiterated that the workers will go ahead with the ultimatum regardless and that disruption is expected at the country’s airports from Monday, barring a last-minute agreement with the employers.
At the heart of the dispute lie issues that have remained unresolved for years: the failure to renew collective labour agreements, pay rises that were never implemented, the regularisation of precarious workers, and the recognition of trade union representation in certain companies within the sector, including Jambojet. According to the union, the commitments made following the previous strike last February have never been honoured.
Should the industrial action go ahead, it could involve staff at the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA), the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), Kenya Airways and the low-cost carrier Jambojet, with potential repercussions for airport operations, baggage handling, air traffic control and domestic and international flights.
The dispute is particularly significant as it comes in the middle of the peak tourist season, when Kenya sees a sharp rise in international arrivals, including charter flights from Europe. Any strike, even a partial one, would risk causing delays and cancellations just as the tourism sector is experiencing one of the busiest periods of the year.
It now remains to be seen whether the government will succeed in facilitating mediation in the coming hours, or whether the standoff between the judiciary and the trade union will ultimately result in another day of chaos at Kenyan airports, with thousands of passengers waiting to find out whether their flights will be able to take off.