Following the current strike going on with pilots, Kenya Airways will be hiring new pilots due to the shortage and carry-on with flights.
The airline had warned its striking pilots they could be dismissed if they did not return to work immediately. Industrial action over pay that began on Saturday has led to the cancellation of dozens of flights and left thousands of passengers stranded.
This strike of pilots is due to an underlying dispute on pensions contributions and settlement of deferred pay, and the airline, one of Africa’s most prominent, has said the industrial action was costing it at least 300 million shillings ($2.5 million) a day.
CEO Allan Kilavu communicated in an interview on Monday afternoon that 23 pilots had shown up for work and the airline had restored a fifth of its daily network operations.
“We have said before that we are ready to talk. Now the time has changed. We want them to first go back to work with immediate effect before we can have any discussions whatsoever,” he said.
“In any case … we have already started disciplinary action and we have already started recruiting new pilots. So those who are still interested in working with Kenya Airways should very quickly report back to work with immediate effect.”
Murithi Nyagah, the general secretary of the Kenya Airline Pilots Association (KALPA), which represents about 400 pilots, said the striking pilots would go back to work when their demands were met. Furthermore, their union said in a statement that it had sent a revised proposal to Kenya Airways on Monday afternoon and was awaiting a response from the airline’s management.
