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The crisis rocking Kenya Airways, one of the Eastern African carriers and the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), seems far from being over as the Union shelve its planned shutdown of the airline’s operation.
The Union had earlier planned on shutting down the airline’s operation Thursday morning but for the timely intervention of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), which prevented the action from being carried out.
According to atqnews.com, the union had in December 2017 carried out a similar action on the airline preventing it from carrying out its flight schedules.
The Union has also issued similar threats to Kenya Airways’ counterpart, RwandAir, and any other operator in the industry, that it would not hesitate to shutdown their operations too if they do not desist from sabotaging its efforts.
In order to prevent passengers holding its tickets from been stranded at the airport Kenya Airways had reached an agreement for RwandAir to airlift its passengers. A situation which the union frowns at.
There had been series of disagreement between the airline’s management and the Union over default in the incremental welfare programme for their workers. The failure to resolve all these issues through dialogue despite consistent efforts led to complete shutdown of the operations of the carrier.
Kenya Airways had earlier sacked 22 out of its 26 Nigerian employees, representing 86.4 per cent of the affected workers.
Atqnews.com reports that the staff were issued the disengagement letters at the airline’s office in Lagos in the presence of stern looking police officers who were engaged by the airline to scare away the affected staff and prevent possible breakdown of law and order.
Only four of its Nigerian staff were retained by the management of the airline after the purging exercise and the affected staff were only given four weeks wages on disengagement by the management, which has attracted the ire of the unions
The abrupt sack of the Nigerian workers happened when the airline was still negotiating the new condition of service with the industry unions
The Union said the carrier’s management took the decision without taking into consideration the Nigeria labour laws, which kicks against unilateral decision by employers when disengaging workers.
According to the report plans have also reached an advanced stage by the management of the airline to replace the sacked workers with casuals as it has already contracted engagement of new workers to a General Sales Agent (GSA) in the country.
The General Secretary of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Comrade Olayinka Abioye said the unilateral sack of the workers by the airline would not be allowed to stand by the industry unions.
Abioye insisted that the sack of the workers was illegal especially at a time the management had reached an agreement to implement some of the reviewed conditions of service for the workers.
He said: “We have been agitating for the review of terms and conditions of employment in Kenya Airways for about two years. We started the process and somewhere along the line, the management of Kenya Airways said they were doing restructuring exercise because of the financial conditions of the airline. In the meantime, we have even agreed to certain reviews approved by both parties and only waiting for implementation.”
Meanwhile, Kenya Airways has appointed Total Air Logistics Limited as General Sales Agent (GSA) to sell passenger tickets and cargo space in Nigeria.
According to the airline the decision is in line with the airline’s strategy of rationalising its operations to increase efficiency and improve service delivery.
“We are seeking operational efficiency to the benefit of our staff, shareholders and guests. Kenya Airways has been operating in the Nigerian market for the last 20 years and we remain committed to provide best-in-class services to our guests,” said Sebastian Mikosz, group managing director and CEO at Kenya Airways.
‘’Total Air Logistics Limited is a trusted partner with in-depth airline industry expertise. It’s proven experience in managing international airlines services in Nigeria will help design innovative market strategies to promote our products,” he added.
Acting as Kenya Airways’ GSA in Nigeria, Total Air Logistics Limited will fully represent the airline in the Nigerian Market. Its mandate includes, marketing support, managing sales, consumer relations and deliver f light support.
