AIRPORT CLEANERS STAGE SIT DOWN STRIKE
Information received late yesterday from the Entebbe International Airport spoke of an impromptu sit down strike on arrival on Monday morning, vowing not to start their work until they had been addressed by their managers over demands for higher wages. It reportedly took several hours before a senior airport police officer convinced the staff to return to work and commence their cleaning duties while the company management prepared to address the workers on Tuesday. Contrary to one other report seen it was ascertained that there was NO police deployment other than a few officers with their senior commander who was quietly reasoning with the strikers before succeeding to have them go back to work.
Two travelers who returned to Uganda from neighbouring Kenya, when asked about what was happening at the airport, denied any service interruptions nor were they able to confirm that the lack of morning cleaning had in any way affected operations. Said one: ‘I arrived from the aircraft, passed immigration and collected my bags before leaving the arrival hall for my transport to town. I was not even aware there was some strike going on before you asked me, there was no change to any of my previous trips’.
The situation in Entebbe will be monitored throughout the day to ascertain if the cleaning staff, incidentally employed by a concessioned company and not the airport directly, will stage another strike or if they will resume their duties henceforth.
