Kuwait Airways workers suspend strike

Members of the ITF-affiliated Workers’ Union of Kuwait Airways and Subsidiaries have halted strike action as they prepare to begin negotiations with management in an ongoing dispute over benefits.

Kuwait Airways has been withholding benefits from employees since 2006 when they said they would be frozen pending “imminent privatisation.” In October 2011 union members gave notice of strike action but this was later called off as a good will gesture after an agreement was reached, promising workers 70 per cent of their demands. However, despite agreeing to implement the settlement, weeks later the commitment had still not been honoured. More failed negotiations followed and the ITF raised concerns on a number of occasions with the Kuwait government about the treatment of workers at the airline. Now, more than five years after their benefits were frozen, workers at Kuwait Airways resorted to industrial action, which they have now halted pending negotiations.

Earlier this week, the ITF launched a solidarity appeal, which has already resulted in letters of support from unions representing thousands of aviation workers worldwide including those from Belgium, India and Spain. Eduardo Chagas, general secretary of the European Transport Workers’ Federation, the ITF’s European arm, also wrote to the prime minister of Kuwait, demanding “decisive action to remedy the situation.”

ITF civil aviation section secretary Gabriel Mocho said: “These workers have been pushed to the edge but yet again they are showing good faith and holding their industrial action to give politicians the opportunity to intervene in this situation and help with mediation. Unions around the world have been showing their solidarity with Kuwait Airways workers and we have every confidence that they will continue to do that until there’s a resolution to this dispute.”

Visit the dedicated solidarity page for more background on the dispute.