KQ pilots extend ultimatum for sacking of management

Kenya Airways’ pilots have extended by a week their ultimatum demanding the sacking of the national carrier’s entire management team.

Through their union, the Kenya Airlines Pilots Association (Kalpa), the pilots said the extension is intended to give the airline more time to avert the looming crisis by effecting their demands.

The employees offered the extension following a meeting on Monday afternoon with the Kenya Airways (KQ) board chairman Dennis Awori and two other directors of the loss-making firm.

Kalpa on January 20 gave KQ a one-week ultimatum to sack the entire team of executive directors, saying failure to do so would see them start unspecified action.

Paul Gichinga, the union’s secretary general, Tuesday said in an interview that the KQ board is set to meet on February 4, after which they expect their demands will be met.

“We had a meeting with the KQ chairman and two directors during which we explained our position and gave them the ultimatum letter,” said Mr Gichinga.

The union has favoured go-slows and strikes in recent years during disputes with KQ over collective bargaining agreements or sacking of pilots.

“We have agreed to be accommodative until the KQ board meets on Thursday next week. However, we still maintain our position and demand that the CEO and his directors must leave the company,” added Mr Gichinga.

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Kalpa says that ineffective management caused the airline to report a Sh27.5 billion net loss for the year to March 2015, hence its call for the sacking of all directors including chief executive Mbuvi Ngunze.

The union claims that recent managerial changes are superficial and are aimed at retaining the status quo at the airline, which has now reported losses for three years in a row.

Alex Mbugua (chief finance officer), Rick Sine (fleet director) and Gerard Clarke (commercial director) have left the company since October last year, while internal managerial reshuffles have been effected.

“It has taken a long time to get Mr Mbugua out of the company. We do not have the luxury of another year for the next director to leave,” Mr Gichinga told the Business Daily.

KQ had 523 pilots as of March 2015, a majority of whom are Kalpa members.

While Kalpa presses on with its demands, the Kenya Aviation Workers Union (Kawu) has come out in support of KQ’s management, claiming that the pilots lacked the mandate to force a regime change. The union said pilots should bear part of the burden of KQ’s declining profitability.

It accused them of drawing huge salaries despite alleged poor productivity, adding that their “frequent” strikes resulted in flight cancellations.