Over 10,000 Kenya Airways passengers were on Saturday, November 5 , left stranded at various airports in the world following a strike by over 400 pilots who are members of the Kenya Airline Pilots Association (Kalpa).
Kenya Airways (KQ), the national carrier, and the Government declared the strike illegal as the former threatened disciplinary action if the pilots remained on strike beyond 24 hours (starting Saturday at 11. am).
Kalpa issued a 14-day strike notice on October 19. Among other things, they’re demanding the ouster of the board and executives for unrevealed governance and leadership questions. The union also faults the KQ’s failure to implement pay agreements (CBA). The union is also protesting the alleged victimization of Kalpa members and the lack of payment of monthly pension contributions for the pilots.
On Monday, the Labour Court temporarily stopped the strike after Kenya Airways sought court orders to stop the industrial action, citing the risk of paying hefty fines for canceling flights totaling about Sh300 million a day.
Regardless of the court injunction, the pilots went on with their planned strike.
“Beginning Saturday, November 5, 2022, from 6.00 am local time, there shall be no Kenya Airways aircraft departing JKIA flown by a Kalpa member,” Kalpa General-secretary, Captain Murithi Nyaga, said in a statement Friday.
Allan Kilavuka, the CEO of KQ Saturday, criticized the strike. “What the pilots are doing is spitting on the faces of taxpayers. Kalpa is inciting pilots from the comfort of their bedrooms,” Kilavuka said.
Kenya Airways management Saturday apologized to its customers about the strike, inconveniencing thousands of passengers within and outside Kenya.
“We will do our best to provide you an alternative solution at the earliest opportunity, which may include rebooking you on other airlines,” KQ said in a statement.
Cabinet Secretary’s Reaction
Kipchumba Murkomen, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for the transport ministry, called the strike economic sabotage.
My statement on Kenya Airways Pilots Strike! pic.twitter.com/9UZHliRj9B
— KIPCHUMBA MURKOMEN, E.G.H (@kipmurkomen) November 5, 2022
“The action taken by the pilots, considering the economic challenges and the biting drought, is akin to economic sabotage,” the CS said in a statement.
However, the pilots’ union said it was open to genuine negotiations to end the strike and accused KQ of lacking goodwill.
“As we have stated on numerous occasions, including in the meeting convened by Government yesterday, KALPA is ready and willing to listen to proposals in genuine negotiations that ensure both parties come to an agreeable position. The onus is on Kenya Airways Management to bridge this impasse,” Kalpa Secretary General Captain Muriithi Nyagah said in a statement Saturday.
Murkomen urged the union to obey the court order that suspended the strike and gave the established Committee a chance to work on resolving their grievances.
He added that the Government of Kenya has injected billions of shillings in its efforts to turn around the fortunes of Kenya Airways and is, therefore, keen to resolve the current impasse.
“Already, the Government is thinking of ways to restructure Kenya Airways and make it a self-sustaining company with a more responsive working environment where it will protect the welfare of the pilots and where the pilots will not hold the company hostage,” Murkomen said.
Meanwhile, the national carrier was Saturday dealt another blow by the Kenya Airport Authority Union workers, which asked its members, who include cabin crew and ground staff, to down tools over failure by management to honor the 2016/2019 CBA.
“This is to instruct and advise all unionizable employees of KAA to commence the strike at 2.00 pm today, November 5, 2022, in compliance with the Court Order.
“Consequently, we advise those who are currently at work to peacefully walk out of their workstations at 2.00 pm and proceed home. For those who are still at home waiting to report for their shifts, we advise you to stay away and not to report to work,” Kenya Aviation Workers Union’s statement read.
See statements posted on Twitter by KALPA, and Kenya Airways below.
— Kenya Airways (@KenyaAirways) November 5, 2022
We are amicable towards and remain committed to any genuine efforts aimed at resolving the current stalemate. pic.twitter.com/sZNiFRwrdO
— KALPA Kenya (@kalpa_kenya) November 5, 2022