KQ Staff Strike: Kenya Airways employees are now planning to go on strike ahead of the October 28 maiden US direct flight.
The employees will be going on steike over what they term as complaints on special pay and working conditions for the long-haul flight.
Kenya Aviation Workers Union (Kawu) strike is set to include cabin crew refusing to perform duties on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft that will be deployed for the first direct flight to New York. It is also expected that ground staff will be boycotting duties.
“It’s our demand that management commits to concluding the CBA negotiations before October 28, 2018,” Kawu secretary- general Moses Ndiema said in a letter dated October 17 to members and KQ management.
“To that end we are calling on all our members across all sections, that is passenger services, cargo operations, passenger ramp, inflight functions, technical, flight ops and support services, to stay away from the USA operations until further advised by the union. This call applies to our comrades in CDL as well.”
According to a report that appears in the Business Daily, the workers are asking for special terms for cabin crew on the long haul flight, insisting allocation of additional staff would allow each cabin crew member “adequate” time to rest. Besides, the unionists want the cabin crew to be paid Sh20,000 allowances per hour exceeded up to a maximum of 21 hours duty period, “in line with international aviation standards”.
“KQ has offered to pay the crew Sh. 5,000 per hour. The union cited the Kenya Civil Aviation Act, which regulates flight times, duty periods and rest periods and time off for cabin crew as the basis of its demands,” the report says.
But Kenya Airways chief executive Sebastian Mikosz has asked the workers to avoid going on strike to avoid jeopardizing the airline. “Employees proceeding with an illegal strike are supporting our competitors by working to the detriment of the company and should be considered as such by the public and Government of Kenya,” he said.