Moses Ndiema, the secretary general of KAWU, announced that the union will reject the proposed public-private agreement between JKIA and the Indian company Adani Airport Holdings Ltd. on Monday by delivering a seven-day notice of strike.
According to the Unios, the administration had disregarded the law’s mandate for public involvement. KAWU also expressed disapproval of its members’ lack of participation, citing them as important stakeholders.
“We will be serving a strike notice to KAA and all aviation-related organizations on Monday.” We gave the administration seven days last week to comply with our requests. On Monday, we do not plan to initiate a strike. However, we will have our members miss work in order to convey the notice of the strike,” he stated.
The plan will be included, among other things, in a formal notice of strike by the unions, along with requests for management changes at Kenya Airways and the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA).
Ndiema asserted that Adani intends to reduce employment at the airport, alleging that privatization will lead to unemployment.
“Adani intends to take over all ground handling operations, which will result in employment losses once more. According to Ndiema, they wish to weaken employment terms.
KAWU’s action is in response to growing apprehension around the potential Adani deal.
In reaction to public anger over rumors that the government had “sold” the airport to the Indian corporation, protestors organized a “Occupy JKIA” on July 23.
But, the administration assuaged concerns by saying it was thinking about a public-private partnership to update the international airport in order to improve passenger experience and boost traffic.
