Several flights were cancelled on Sunday and others rescheduled after outsourced staff mainly comprising cabin crew failed to report to work/FILE
NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 17 – The Labour Ministry is set to hold a conciliatory meeting with key stakeholders at Kenya Airways on Monday in a bid to end a strike that has affected the airline’s operations.
The separate meetings will involve conciliation committee members, staff union representatives, KQ management as well as COTU and the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE).
Several flights were cancelled on Sunday and others rescheduled after outsourced staff mainly comprising cabin crew failed to report to work.
Pilots had in the meantime issued a strike notice last week that expires Tuesday, in which they demanded the resignation of the airline’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
But Kenya Airways obtained orders declaring the planned strike as unprotected.
The orders from the Employment and Labour Relations Court also restrains the Kenya Airline Pilots Association and all its members from engaging in any form of industrial action including strikes and go slows.
KQ has already begun contempt proceedings against the association following the go-slow that has been going on since Saturday.
In its application, the airline wants the association’s Secretary General Paul Gichinga and Chairman Njoroge Murimi committed to civil jail for disobeying a court order declaring a strike illegal.
“Paul Gichinga, the Secretary General of the Respondent; Njoroge Murimi, Chairman of the Respondent and Timothy Njoroge the Vice Chairman of the Respondent to show cause why they should not be individually committed to civil jail for a period not exceeding six months or their respective properties attached or any other penalty be imposed on them jointly and severally as the Honourable court may deem fair for disobeying the court order made by consent of the parties on 2nd June 2016,” the order stated.
