Flights taking off and landing at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi are facing disruptions beginning Saturday after Kenya Airways (KQ) pilots failed to call off a planned strike, defying a court order.
Kenya Airways pilots under the Kenya Airline Pilots
Association (KALPA) are set to go on strike from Saturday after the airline
failed to address their grievances.
In a statement, the Association’s General Secretary Murithi
Nyaga stated that from 6.00am, there shall be no Kenya Airways aircraft
departing from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) being flown by a
KALPA member.
He indicated that the Kenya Airways management has not made
any meaningful attempt to engage them and have the issues they raised
addressed.
“On October 19 2022, the Association issued a 14-day
industrial action notice to the management of Kenya Airways, as the last resort
in our attempts to seek better working conditions for our members and ensure that
Kenya Airways is managed professionally,” he stated.
“The strike notice has since expired and we are therefore at
liberty to exercise our right to withdraw our labour forthwith as enshrined in
Article 41, Chapter 4 of the Kenyan constitution.”
The Kenya Airways Board had said that none of the grievances
advanced by the Kenya Airline Pilots Association(KALPA) merit an industrial
strike.
In a statement, the board noted that KALPA’s demands have
changed from grievances on the suspension of the Provident Fund, the Ab Initio
Loan fund, Annual Leave, and other issues to outright demands for the
resignation of the Management team, particularly the CEO, Allan Kilavuka.
“The Board reiterates that industrial action is unnecessary
at this point as it will delay and disrupt the financial and operational
recovery, causing reputational damage to Kenya Airways,” the statement signed
by KQ Board Chair Michael Joseph read.
The national carrier also noted that the negative impact of
the strike would also affect thousands of employees and the vast ecosystem the
airline supports.
Meanwhile, the Board underscored its full support and
confidence in Kilavuka and the management in handling the matters at hand and
the Company.
“The Board also remains committed to supporting Management
to make good on the promises made during Covid-19 as the Company’s financial
performance improves, evidenced by the resumption of full pay and the ongoing
payment of the accrued deferred pay,” said Joseph.
The association had accused the airline of pilot
victimization and harassment as well as unilateral withdrawal of the staff
provident fund, non-adherence to Kenya Civil Aviation Regulations, and
leadership and governance challenges.
In a press briefing held yesterday, KALPA said it will call
off the strike if its grievances were addressed.
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