Workers union says no more KQ layoffs after sacking of 80

The workers union representing a majority of Kenya Airways employees has said it does not anticipate further retrenchments at the national carrier following Friday’s sacking of 80 staff.

The Kenya Aviation Workers Union, whose membership comprises about 2,500 KQ staffers, says the airline’s management has agreed to limit the number of sacked employees significantly below the initial estimate of 600.

Secretary-general Moss Ndiema said the proposed concessions for the reduced layoffs include a reduction in some allowances, a freeze in KQ’s pension contributions as well as cutting back on outsourced employees.

The national carrier on March 31 announced that it intended to redeploy or sack up to 600 of its staff.

Natural attrition and talks with its employees’ representatives has since lowered this figure.

“We have been having discussions with management and we agreed there will be no more retrenchments for now,” Mr Ndiema said in a telephone interview.

“Some people could be redeployed in the coming months even as the company implements other cost-cutting measures that touch on staff. Of the 80 employees sacked on Friday, 41 of them were my members.”

Kenya Airways did not respond to our queries regarding Mr Ndiema’s claims by the time of going to press.

The Kenya Airline Pilots Association (Kalpa) secretary general Paul Gichinga also said he did not expect his members to be affected following talks with the management.

KQ had indicated that, beginning May, it would send home up to 600 employees as part of wide cost-cutting measures aimed at trimming its payroll by about Sh2 billion annually.

READ: KQ targets 600 workers for retrenchment

Lengthy negotiations with workers’ unions as well as a delay in receiving Sh10 billion from African Export-Import Bank, however, delayed the retrenchment.

Several KQ employees opted to leave the company in the intervening period as a cloud of uncertainty hang on their jobs.

“During this period (since March 31), we have stress-tested the accuracy of our right-sizing estimates in order to ensure that we have identified all possible ways to retain staff as well as securing the airline’s long term operational efficiency,” KQ said in a statement on Friday.

“This is a difficult period for Kenya Airways and employee assistance will be available for affected staff at the time of the exercise and for two weeks thereafter.”

Mr Ndiema said that of the 600 staff KQ had earmarked to be laid off, about 460 of them were Kalpa members working in departments such as ground handling and cargo, security, cabin crew and finance among others.