Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU) strike is set for October 28 ahead of Kenya Airways’ New York maiden flight. The strike will include cabin crew refusing to perform duties on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft that will be deployed for the first direct flight to New York and ground staff boycotting duties.

“It’s our demand that management commits to concluding the CBA negotiations before October 28, 2018,” Kawu secretary- general Moses Ndiema said in a letter dated October 17 to members and KQ management.

However, Kenya Airways management has come out to inform members of the public about its position regarding its engagement with the Kenya Aviation Workers Union.

“(KAWU) Kenya Airways has undergone a massive transformation in the past 12 months with great support from the government to make operating to the USA from Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport a reality. 

We were therefore surprised by the destructive behavior the union has demonstrated by asking staff to stay away from the US operations and can only view this as an attempt to use this positive occasion as an opportunity to pressurize the management in negotiations.

Even more disturbing is the subsequent correspondence from KAWU claiming that there was no such communication sent to their members. 

Our focus as an organization is to create jobs directly and indirectly so the call to stay away from such a momentous occasion that will contribute to not only the nation, but the region is incomprehensible as negotiations commenced last week and have not been concluded.

Opening of the New York City route is with no doubts one of the key highlights and culmination of a year of hard work and we would like to assure our guests and stakeholders that operations will go on as planned.

The inaugural flight will take off on 28th October 2018 and will be a celebration not only for ourselves, but for the Kenya.”  said Sebastian Mikosz, CEO Kenya Airways.