Former Safaricom chief executive Michael Joseph is slated to chair the Kenya Airways (KQ)board, replacing Dennis Awori, in a government-brokered deal that saw a planned strike by pilots deferred.
The industrial action was to begin yesterday to force out Awori and managing director Mbuvi Ngunze and would have added further strain on an airline whose operations have been shaken by a strike by its outsourced staff. Kenya Airline Pilots Association (KALPA) termed discussions with the government and the board “fruitful” but said it was only deferring the strike to a later date.
“We have taken the decision to defer the strike action to accommodate the ongoing negotiations. It is important to note that we are not withdrawing the strike notice but rather deferring it to a later date,” said the statement from the secretary general Paul Gichinga.
He said the move was meant to give the two parties more time for negotiations and resolve pending issues. The association said the decision was also partly informed by talks with government after their strike notice escalated things in the sector.
KALPA, which dismissed a government claim that pilots have no role in determining the airline’s leadership and went on to issue the strike notice, said they had a moral obligation to question the recovery and transformation.
“The government’s timely intervention resulted in the de-escalation and subsequent resolution of the looming crisis that faced a key plank of Kenya’s aviation sector,” said Gichinga, adding that he hoped assurances and commitments given by Kenya Airways will be upheld.
“We, therefore, hope members of the association will not be victimised for the strike,” he said.
Joseph, who was elected as director during the recent annual general meeting, said they expect to firm up on the agreed moves when the board meets on Wednesday.
“Although we agree on many things and actions to be taken, I am sure there will be others where we will not always be in agreement,” he said. He called upon all stakeholders to ensure Kenya Airways does not dip further, saying it is in everyone’s interest to work together to turn around the carrier’s fortunes. “This is the start of a journey to return KQ to its rightful place as the Pride of Africa,” said Joseph.
The pilots had declared that they would go ahead with the strike if Ngunze and Awori did not leave office, in spite of a court order Friday declaring the strike illegal. Earlier in the day, as the pilots were holed up in marathon meetings with the government and the company board, the airline recalled all members of its in-flight crew from leave as the strike by outsourced workers entered its fourth day.
[crp]
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