Aviation workers strike threat: Union split over fresh ultimatum

By  Kevin Cheruiyot

Correspondent

Divisions have erupted within the Kenya Aviation Workers Union (Kawu) following a fresh seven-day strike ultimatum issued by union officials.

A day after the union's Secretary-General, Moss Ndiema, led members in demanding the resignation of Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) Managing Director Moses Wekesa, some union members came out to dismiss the strike notice.

At a press conference in Nairobi on Wednesday, the members who denounced the strike called for Mr Wekesa to be given time to settle into office, arguing that calls for his removal would jeopardise plans he had put in place to transform the sector.

"We want to state clearly and firmly that we disagree with any call for industrial action for reasons that are very minor, reasons that we can sit at the table and agree on. For major issues, we want to be consulted," aviation security, infrastructure and training coordinator Joyce Kaburu said.

The members alleged that the union was pushing for the removal of the MD without listening to the views of KAA workers, who they said had placed their hopes in Mr Wekesa's leadership.

"We are not ready for any strike. You must exhaust all the available avenues. You can disagree, but you have avenues for addressing it," she said, urging union leaders to avoid calling unnecessary strikes over issues that can be handled internally.

Her sentiments were echoed by Call Centre Supervisor in the Operations Department Edward Lepore, who said the majority of KAA workers had been suffering silently as the union took charge of their affairs.

Mr Lepore claimed that some of the issues raised by the union's Secretary-General were not true, including agency fees, which he said had already been addressed by the courts.

"If Kawu had an issue with the ruling of the court, the avenue they should have used is to go and appeal that court ruling. It can no longer be a reason to call a strike," Mr Lepore said.

The members claimed that the push for the removal of the MD was linked to his move to streamline services in line with the law, which they said some union officials were unhappy with.

"Any issue that is operated within the framework of the law does not sit well with Kawu. They want shortcuts. There is no factual truth about harassment, and no issue raised by the SG warrants a strike notice. The seven-day strike notice issued is null and void," they said.

While issuing the fresh strike notice on Tuesday, Mr Ndiema said the union was still calling for the removal of the MD for failing to address issues that had previously been agreed upon, including union agency fees, which he said the authority had refused to release.

"Two weeks down the road, Moses Wekesa is not complying with the return-to-work formula. He is not supporting it. Instead, he is undermining it, and Kawu has taken the position that enough is enough with Moses Wekesa as the KAA MD. Our fresh demand is that he either steps down, resigns, or is fired by the government," Mr Ndiema said.

The strike notice comes barely three weeks after the union called off a two-day strike that paralysed flight operations. The agreement was reached after lengthy consultations involving the government, KAA and the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), culminating in the signing of a return-to-work agreement.

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