Kenya aviation workers have called off a strike that disrupted flights for two days at the main airport in the capital, Nairobi, and others around the country.
The workers’ union on Tuesday signed a deal with the government committing to resume work immediately, after talks in which officials agreed to resolve a pay dispute and other grievances that led to the strike.
Since Sunday, hundreds of passengers had been stranded at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), a key regional transport hub, as the nationwide go-slow strike began.
The workers were demanding better working conditions and the implementation of a previously agreed deal.
“We are simply calling off our strike action and pleading with our members to begin the process of normalising operations, restoring services,” Moss Ndiema, the head of the workers’ union, told a press conference on Tuesday.
“For those who are on duty, we are asking them to begin clearing flights.”
Transport Minister Davis Chirchir said they had agreed with the union on the way forward to address the grievances that had led to the strike.
“It’s unfortunate that we had to get here but we are out of it, and it’s unfortunate because the loss to the economy, which we don’t yet have the numbers, is huge.”
On Monday, passengers hoping to get on a flight were stuck at JKIA, with some spending the night in and around the check-in areas waiting for news.
Kenya Airways said it was experiencing delays of more than six hours, and the flight backlog had forced it to cancel some departures.
It apologised for the disruption and said passengers who would like to change or reschedule their flights could do so without a penalty.
Flight tracking website Flightradar24 showed a host of delayed, cancelled or diverted flights.
Mendel Goldman, who was travelling to a wedding in Florida, told the Reuters news agency that his flight had been cancelled, after several delays.
He said he had been waiting for 12 hours.
“The earliest flight they can get us is only tomorrow night, so we’ve got to wait.
“We’re going to try and make most of it, but in the meantime, I’ve been here for 12 hours now, waiting in the airport,” he said on Monday.
William Obino, a 22-year-old traveller told the AFP news agency: “Nothing is happening, updates are reaching us late. It’s ruining our itinerary.”
The strike came after a two-day dispute in February over collective bargaining and the use of volunteers at the airport.
Union officials said they took industrial action because concerns remained unresolved.
The main airport in Nairobi is one of the busiest hubs in the region and serves as a key gateway between the continent and the rest of the world. Last year, it handled about nine million passengers, according to the Kenyan authorities.
It has however seen multiple strikes in recent years as workers push for better conditions.
