Kenya Airways Says Pilot Strike Would Jeopardise Its Recovery | Travel/Tourism

A deliberate strike by pilots at Kenya Airways (KQNA.NR) would jeopardize the airline's restoration from the pandemic and could be unjustified, the corporate's board mentioned on Wednesday.

KALPA, a union that represents greater than 400 pilots on the provider, issued a discover that's set to set off a strike at midnight on Wednesday over a dispute involving pensions, accrued again salaries and different complaints.

"None of the grievances advanced by KALPA merits an industrial strike," the board mentioned in an announcement, including all pay offers with unions should mirror the corporate's effort to return to revenue.

"It (a strike) will delay and disrupt the financial recovery," the board added.

In a separate assertion, Kenya Airways put estimated losses if the strike goes forward at 300 million shillings ($2.5 million) per day.

KALPA, which has been ordered by a court docket to not proceed with the strike, declined to remark. Muriithi Nyaga, its basic secretary, informed Reuters the union would difficulty an announcement when it was able to.

If the strike goes forward, it would paralyze journey in one in every of Africa's key aviation hubs, which serves enterprise and leisure travellers. Kenya Airways ferried a mean of 8,000 passengers day-after-day within the first half of this yr.

The union is demanding the airline restarts contributions to its workers pension fund, stopped in the course of the pandemic, and the cost of all again salaries that have been elevated on the time.

Like different airways, Kenya Airways grounded its fleet and deferred pay for employees when the pandemic took maintain.

The board mentioned it had been making progress, with all employees now getting full pay each month and a few additional money in the direction of progressively settling the deferred pay.

Nyaga didn't touch upon that or the court docket injunction in opposition to the deliberate strike. The union can also be demanding the sacking of the airline's CEO Allan Kilavuka.

The board mentioned it had full confidence in Kilavuka.

The monetary turmoil at Kenya Airways preceded the pandemic. The airline sank into heavy losses after it took on large money owed to buy new plane, at a time when its passenger enterprise slumped primarily resulting from frequent militant assaults in Kenya.