The Central Organizing Committee of the Communist Party of Kenya, the party of the Kenyan workers, stands in unwavering solidarity with the over 600 Air Traffic Services workers who are being unjustly denied their fundamental right to join a union by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA).

In 2023, these dedicated workers, including air traffic controllers, aeronautical communication officers, and telecommunication and engineering services workers, sought to organise under the ITF-affiliated Transport Workers Union of Kenya (TAWU). However, the KCAA has deliberately misclassified them as managers, exploiting a technicality in the Industrial Relations Charter of Kenya which excludes managers from union membership. This cynical manoeuvre has resulted in a situation where the KCAA purportedly has more "managers" than actual workers, none of whom perform managerial roles.

This blatant misclassification is a calculated effort to strip these workers of their right to unionise, thereby undermining their ability to engage in collective bargaining and benefit from union protection. Such actions by the KCAA are not only regressive but also starkly out of step with global norms. In major aviation markets worldwide, air traffic services workers have the right to unionise, recognising the critical role of industrial relations in maintaining high safety standards and the overall well-being of these essential workers.

TAWU is currently fighting this gross violation of workers' rights in court. We call upon all supporters of labour rights to stand with Kenya’s air traffic services workers by signing the petition demanding the KCAA respect their right to unionise.

We unwaveringly support the petition to Emile N Arao, Director General, Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, and reinforce our rejection of anti-worker policies. We reiterate that:

1. Mr. Arao immediately recognise the air traffic services workers' right to join a union.

2. Correct their classification from managers to workers.

3. Withdraw KCAA’s challenge to their legal case for worker status and trade union rights.

The right to unionise and engage in collective bargaining is enshrined in the International Labour Organization’s Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. Ensuring these rights are upheld is crucial for the sustainable development of Kenya’s aviation industry and for the retention and well-being of these safety-critical workers.

We stand with TAWU and all air traffic services workers in Kenya in their struggle for justice and the recognition of their fundamental rights.

In conclusion, we hold the correct line that the Kenyan neocolonial state is inherently anti-worker and supports big capital against labour. This contradiction between labour and capital can only be resolved through a revolution that destroys the anti-worker state and installs a popular state under the democratic control of workers, defeating the dictatorship of the rich, filthy businessmen who seek to degrade labour and create an artificial shortage of work to ramp up profits.

Long live the unity of workers against rogue employers.

In solidarity,

Central Organising Committee

Communist Party of Kenya