The Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU) have announced a nationwide strike scheduled for Sunday, September 1st, 2024, after talks with the Kenya Airports Authority aimed at addressing their grievances concerning the Adani takeover of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) collapsed.
The union had postponed its strike to give dialogue a chance. But they now say the government has failed to provide crucial information needed for meaningful engagement over the planned leasing of JKIA to Indian based Adani airport Holdings.
Speaking to the media on August 25, KAWU Secretary-General Moses Ndiema, expressed the union’s frustration over the matter noting that since no progress has been made, they would proceed with their planned strike.
“We have made zero progress in terms of discussions and the only option for us therefore is to fall back on our industrial strike action and so we want to communicate very clearly that come Sunday 1st September, there will be no work at all airports within the Republic of Kenya,” said Ndiema.
This development comes days after KAWU announced its decision to boycott the public participation forum organized by the Kenya Airports Authority regarding their concerns about the Adani takeover.
Aviation Workers Boycott Talks with Govt, Issues New Demands
While addressing the media on August 20, KAWU Secretary-General Moses Ndiema expressed frustration over the lack of access to relevant documents needed for informed participation.
“We have not seen the document, actually we have been requesting for it, but they are not ready to give it to us even saying at one point that there is no document,” he said.
Also Read: KAA Responds to Looming Aviation Workers Strike
Additionally, he questioned the necessity of holding such a forum if the very documents being discussed haven’t been made public.
“How do you go ahead with public participation without supporting documents? they are forcing it through, and this is something very suspicious,” said Ndiema.
KAWU Secretary General Clarifies on Planned Strike
Additionally, Ndiema emphasized that the union is rallying its members to reject what they consider a “sham exercise”
Because of this the Secretary General said the union was still preparing for its strike clarifying that they had postponed the strike rather than canceling it, as some reports have suggested.
Another KAWU official echoed the sentiments of Secretary-General Moses Ndiema, stating that public participation cannot be conducted without providing participants with the necessary documents.
“We are not aware of what documents are being used in the public participation forum,” he said.
Furthermore, the official insisted that if the union is to engage in any public discussions, there must be a proper procedure in place to ensure transparency.
The union emphasized the need for open communication and expressed their commitment to challenge any unresolved issues thoroughly.
“If we have to participate in any public participation, there must be proper procedure, we cannot allow people to be cheated, we want things to be done in the open and we will challenge this Adani issue to the last data.”
KAWU Issue Ultimatum to the Govt
KAWU emphasized that if the government intends to move forward with any dealings related to Jomo Kenyatta Airport (JKIA), it must first provide detailed information about the procurement process that led to Adani’s selection.
Also, the union is demanding transparency about how Adani was chosen, who the competitors were, and the reasoning behind the decision.
Also Read: Govt Intervenes After Aviation Workers Issued Strike Notice
“We are telling the government if they have to do anything with the JKIA, they have to tell us where this Adani has come from, how was the procurement process of bringing Adani done? who did they compete with and why?” said the union official.
KAWU firmly believes that the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) is fully capable of developing the airport on its own and remains steadfast in its opposition to the takeover.
“KAA as an authority is able to develop JKI to whatever category and that is our stand, we are not going to let anybody come and take the JKIA, an asset worth trillions of shillings on a 30-year lease. We are saying no to Adani,” said the aviation workers.
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