Two-day truce: KAA workers suspend strike, seek mediation
Tensions escalated last Thursday after crisis talks between KAA and the union collapsed without a resolution. Speaking at JKIA after the meeting, KAWU Secretary Moss Ndiema said attempts to address the union’s demands had failed.
A court directive has temporarily stopped a planned strike by Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) workers, paving the way for two days of conciliation talks between the union and the management under the Ministry of Labour.
The Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU) on Monday night announced the decision to suspend the strike after the Employment and Labour Relations Court instructed both sides to appear before the ministry on Monday morning. KAA had moved to court earlier seeking to stop the industrial action.
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The mediation session began at 11 am and lasted until 7:45 pm before it was adjourned. Talks are scheduled to continue on Tuesday (today), with a conciliation report expected to be filed in court on Wednesday, October 1,2025 ahead of a session on Thursday.
“The strike has been suspended for only two days to allow conciliation to take place,” KAWU said.
The union expressed gratitude to its members for standing together during the standoff and assured them it would provide updates as the talks proceed.
The temporary reprieve has eased immediate fears of travel disruptions at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and other airports, though the situation remains uncertain as workers await the outcome of the mediation.
The conflict arises from multiple grievances, including the alleged transfer of Ground Flight Safety operations to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, delayed staff confirmations, unresolved Collective Bargaining Agreements, and other long-standing labour issues.
Tensions escalated last Thursday after crisis talks between KAA and the union collapsed without a resolution. Speaking at JKIA after the meeting, KAWU Secretary Moss Ndiema said attempts to address the union’s demands had failed.
“Unfortunately, we have not been able to resolve any issue, not even one,” Ndiema said.
He explained that out of the union’s seven demands, referred to as “irreducible minimums”, only one issue made progress, a planned meeting in Naivasha on human resource instruments, which management agreed to suspend pending further consultation.
“On that one, they offered to suspend it until we consult further about it,” he said.
The most contentious issue revolves around the alleged dismissal of a human resource manager. Ndiema said management maintained that the decision was made by the board.
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