Hundreds stranded after KQ cancels 5 flights, delays one

By Lisa Kamau For Citizen Digital, 16 October 2016

Hundreds of Passengers were on Sunday left stranded after Kenya Airways cancelled five flights to various African destinations and delayed one as a strike by staff members enters its third day.

According to a statement from KQ, several outsourced crew working for the airline failed to show up for work Sunday morning, necessitating the emergency that has seen many scheduled flights grounded.

Close to 300 of its contracted workers through Career Direction Limited on Friday downed their tools citing unfair employment terms from the airline.

Grievances raised by the contracted employees include lesser pay compared to their colleagues in Kenya airways, lack of allowances, a medical cover that does not include family members among others.

The strike coming at a time when the airline is struggling to fly out of its tough financial times having recorded an improved half-year loss of Sh5 billion.

However, the contracted employees said they have had enough and their strike is not in an attempt of taking advantage of Kenya Airways’ fragile position.

“We are more frustrated than Kenya Airways. When you tell me that I am trying to frustrate Kenya Airways, a company that I love, a company that I have worked for six years, without all these that you have mentioned, surely, how unfair can you be?” questioned one of the contracted staff members.

The contracted workers who serve in the departments ranging from finance, sales to flight operations promised to remain on strike until the management of Kenya Airways accorded them audience or do away with the contractor Career Directions Limited.

Among KQ flights cancelled Sunday morning were those to Mombasa, Kilimanjaro, Juba, Lusaka/Harare, Maputo, while the scheduled flight to Livingston/Cape Town in South Africa was been delayed.

Kenya Airline Pilots Association secretary general Paul Gichinga on Tuesday intimated they would down their tools from Tuesday if KQ CEO Mbuvi Ngunze and chairman Dennis Awori do not vacate office.