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Kenya Airways, pilots association ink deal to avert strike

Xinhua, April 28, 2016 Adjust font size:

Kenya Airways and the pilots inked a pact on Wednesday to avert a strike which was set to disrupt aviation services from Thursday.

In a joint statement, the Kenya Airlines Pilots Association (KALPA) and Kenya Airways management said the strike notice, which was issued by the union on Tuesday, has now been deferred to June 1 to pave way for consultations.

"The parties have mutually agreed to have consultations on a number of identified issues with a view to conclude by June," the statement said.

The union, which is made up of about 500 pilots had vowed to down their tools in protest of alleged mismanagement on the part of Kenya Airways, one of the largest carriers in Africa.

The pilots said Kenya Airways CEO Mbuvi Ngunze's efforts would not be successful while accusing the airline's management of being responsible for the woes affecting the national carrier.

But in a joint statement, the two parties resolved to share outcomes of their consultations in a joint review meeting of the government, the airline and the union prior to June 1.

"We would like to assure our customers and business partners that we are fully operational and as your national career are committed to serving you with price," the statement said.

It came after the airline had earlier Wednesday obtained a court order stopping pilots from going on strike from Thursday until the case is heard and determined.

The Employment and Labour Relations Court also restrained the pilots association from issuing any press statement or making any public announcement touching on the affairs of the claimant, Ngunze.

Kenya Airways, once the most successful airlines in Africa, has been relying heavily on debt to finance its operations following the launch of its overly-ambitious 10-year resource-draining expansion plan dubbed Project Mawingu.

The carrier, whose poor financial performance has been linked to revenue haemorrhage through the machinations of its management, has been recording reduced profits and high costs of operations for the last four years.

The airline early this year also declared 600 of its workers redundant in a bid to recover 20 million dollars, a move that the association highly condemned. Enditem