Inside fearless Atwoli’s new plan to hurt JKIA more

Has the fearless Cotu secretary general Francis Atwoli taken over the control of the Kenya Aviation Workers strike since their union leaders getting arrested? Well, Atwoli has now urged airport workers to boycott work until their leaders are released.

The Kenya Aviation Workers’ Union leaders were arrested during last week’s protest, which paralysed operations.

Atwoli was speaking during a press briefing at Solidarity House.

“I appeal to all workers, including pilots, not to report to their workstations until their bosses are released as agreed upon in the MoU,” he said.

“They should, in fact, ensure total paralysis at the airport until the leaders are presented in court and released.”

Atwoli said no one will be victimised over the strike. He said the arrests have hindered operations at JKIA and may slow down the economy.

But KAA, in a statement, said the strike notice dated February 27 by Kawu stands suspended following an injunction by the Employment and Labour Relations Court on March 5.

Last week, hundreds of passengers were left stranded at JKIA after flights were disrupted following a strike by aviation workers over a management row.

The workers oppose the proposed handover of the management of JKIA to Kenya Airways.

The Kenya Airports Authority workers say the plan will render most of them jobless and want it discarded.

The strike caught many passengers unawares and led to a crisis at one of sub-Saharan Africa’s busiest airports.

Last year Kawu threatened to boycott work ahead of KQ’s maiden direct flight to the United States.

The strike was thwarted after the Labour Court intervened and called it off.

The national carrier and the workers’ union recorded consent in court, with both parties agreeing to ensure normalcy.

Prior to the consent, the judge had barred members of Kawu from boycotting the maiden direct flight.

Kawu had issued a directive on October 17 urging its members across all sections to stay away from KQ’s US operations until the national carrier commits to concluding their CBA negotiations before October 28.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *