Kenya Airport Strike Strands Thousands

Flight operations at Kenya’s main airports stayed badly disrupted on Monday as a go-slow by aviation workers entered a second day, leaving thousands of passengers delayed, cancelled or stuck overnight.

Members of the Kenya Aviation Workers’ Union began the action early Sunday at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi and at other sites including Moi International Airport in Mombasa. Many flights ran two to three hours late; some were cancelled. Kenya Airways said only about 30 percent of its Sunday departures had been processed by mid-afternoon. RwandAir cancelled two services, citing air-traffic control problems in Nairobi.

Union secretary-general Moss Ndiema said staff at the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, the Kenya Airports Authority and Kenya Airways subsidiary Jambojet would stay off normal duties until their complaints were met. After Sunday talks with the government failed, he said discussions would resume at 11 a.m. Monday and that the action remained in force.

The union accuses employers of breaking a late-July framework that had paused an earlier strike notice. It points to an unfinished collective agreement at the civil aviation authority, what it calls a lack of cooperation from the airports authority and Jambojet, and disputes over backdated pay, job security, promotion and union recognition at the low-cost carrier. A two-day stoppage in February had already shut down much of JKIA before a temporary truce.

Exporters added a commercial warning. The Fresh Produce Consortium of Kenya said delays threaten flowers, fruit, vegetables and meat bound for Europe and other markets, and that cancelled orders would damage Kenya’s standing as a reliable supplier. The airports authority advised travellers to check with airlines before setting out and said it was working with agencies and carriers to keep traffic moving. Kenya Airways blamed air-traffic control constraints without naming the strike.