- “If they do not heed to our demands we are back here tomorrow"
- They had converged at the KAA head office where they were addressed by the KAA acting managing director Henry Ogoye.
Image: HANDOUT
The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) staff have vowed to officially commence their planned strike on Tuesday.
The work boycott announced last week was set to officially begin Monday after several attempts to try and seek answers from relevant state institutions failed.
Through the Kenya Aviation Workers’ Union (KAWU), the employees have given the KAA management until the close of business Monday to resolve their grievances.
This is in regard to the plan by the government to lease out the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to Indian firm, Adani Holdings Limited.
The staff who had converged at the KAA head office voiced their concerns before being addressed by the KAA acting managing director Henry Ogoye.
“Tunafanya testing, testing...tuone kila kitu iko sawa before it is all systems go,” KAWU Secretary General Moss Ndiema said in his address to the workers after the meeting.
“If they do not heed to our demands we are back here tomorrow,” said Ndiema.
They later led a procession back to the workstations carrying placards while chanting “Adani must go”.
“I am proud of you because of the work you have done today. All those who have participated have done a good job. We are making an effort to stop the loss of JKIA,” he stated.
JKIA, he stated, is making its own money and can finance its own modernisation including expansion plans.
He said if a new investor was to come in, they should build a new terminal at JKIA and manage it.
“We are not ready to surrender it to anyone. We are going to do this daily until Adani goes,” he added.
In his address, Ogoye told the workers to submit memoranda on their issues this Monday for them to respond to it.
KAWU had on Thursday suspended the strike following what it said was the move by the government to bow to pressure and grant some of the contract documents for the JKIA lease by the Indian firm.
KAWU has continuously voiced its opposition to the proposal by Adani to take over management of the facility.
Ndiema has maintained that the Union is determined to stop the project calling for a stop on all the ongoing stakeholder engagement.
“We were given the Adani concession agreement, KAA feasibility study and some other documents. We have deliberated about the issue and it is our resolution that we will make a further delay on our strike action,” said Ndiema
It was the third time the union postponed the planned strike.
KAWU issued a formal seven days' strike notice on August 12, to both KAA and KQ on their intention to paralise operations over the planned JKIA deal.
The intended strike was on account of, and in protest against, the alleged planned sale of JKIA to Adani Airport Holdings Limited of India.
KAWU said the alleged deal was being carried out in a secretive and unlawful manner and would also ultimately result in massive job losses for employees.
The workers also protested against alleged acts of impropriety and gross misconduct regarding the provision of security services at the airport.