Business
Kenya: Union at port city of Mombasa suspends strike
Dockside work resumed gradually as workers trickled back after collecting their letters of employment, which guaranteed them a pension scheme.
Others chanted slogans outside the port’s main offices as they lined up to get their letters.
“It feels a lot better now. At least I am assured of a hefty package when I retire,” said Juma Kassim, a crane operator.
“I don’t know why the port had to wait until we forced them by striking. I’m sure the port has suffered great losses.”
Hundreds of tonnes of cargo were piled up.
Labor unrest has increased in east Africa’s biggest economy this year following steep price increases and ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections next March. Teachers, university lecturers and doctors have also staged strikes to demand better pay and working conditions.
The ferry strike blocked trucks, carrying fuel, food and goods, and office workers from the mainland who were trying to get to work on Mombasa island.
Tourists at the coastal strip popular with Kenyan and foreign holidaymakers, who were hoping to get to the main airport from beach luxury resorts, were left stranded as a result of the labor unrest.
