IS ANOTHER WILDCAT STRIKE IN THE MAKING BY KALPA?
(Posted 26th April 2016)
Recently, after the bombing of Brussels Airport and ten anxious days of waiting for the facility to be declared ready for reopening and flights to resume, the Belgian air traffic controllers decided to inflict more pain on the people of Belgium through a two day wild cat strike.
Brussels Airlines, with figures becoming available today, is looking at an overall cost impact of some 70 million Euros for the entire period. Yet it is thought that the strike action cost them more than twice the average daily losses during the airport closure days and are a result of the strike called by individuals absolutely ignorant of public mood while showing a complete lack of decent behaviour for the relatives and friends of those who lost their lives in the bombings, when they chose those strike dates for maximum leverage.
While this is of course not a match to the Kenyan situation, are underlying factors however quite comparable. Like the Belgian air traffic controllers at the time has KALPA, the Kenya Airline Pilots Association, reared its ugly head again, determined to undermine the carefully laid out plans by national airline Kenya Airways to turn its financial fortunes around, when news emerged today in local media in Nairobi that they were looking at strike action within 48 hours.
Some time ago did KALPA appropriate itself the powers of the shareholders AGM when they insisted that the entire management of KQ resign, or else, yes you guessed it, they would strike, but apparently better sense and calming voices prevailed and prevented a strike with even their hostile and agitative usual language being toned down.
Now, the hotheads have resurfaced it seems and Kenya Airways felt obliged to issue a public statement to the following effect:
Start quote:
KENYA AIRWAYS STATEMENT ON KENYA AIRLINE PILOTS ASSOCIATION (KALPA) 26th April 2016
Last year we embarked on a turnaround program “Operation Pride” to improve our profitability, revisit our operating model and network, and seek a long term sustainable financial structure for our business. In the last few months, we have taken some hard decisions on the aircraft we fly as well as making substantial changes on other aspects of our business. The strategy is fully endorsed by the Board, shareholders and our staff.
As part of Operation Pride, we announced and gave due notice on 31st March 2016 that there would be a staff rationalization and redeployment exercise. These measures are among the many that we are undertaking and accounts for less than 10% of the overall turnaround plan.
In the intervening period, we have held consultations with all key stakeholders including our two staff representative unions KALPA and KAWU. We have had three meetings so far with each union and have not hit a deadlock. The next meeting with KALPA is scheduled for 28th April 2016.
Though we have not been formally served, we have read from media reports that KALPA has issued a 48 hour strike notice. According to Kenyan Law, such a strike would be illegal, as it is in violation of the required minimum period of seven days’ notice.
We are surprised and consider it the height of insincerity, bad faith and an act of economic sabotage for KALPA to allege to issue a strike notice knowing fully well the current challenging business environment facing the airline and also in light of the ongoing consultations.
We would like to assure our customers and travel trade partners that we are fully operational, and as the national carrier are committed to serving you with pride.
End quote
What the airline tactfully calls insincerity do others call an act of backstabbing while the carefully chosen words in the statement of bad faith and economic sabotage can here be upped to being a fifth column of anti patriots, deluded in their perception of their power as they dance on the edge of subversion.
Sadly are the days gone when by presidential directive anti-social elements, ringleaders and misfits could be put under detention to spare the general public from their excesses and prevent acts of ultimately undermining the state.
In today’s Kenya, the only option is to go to court and get an injunction, but then has KALPA trampled on such court orders in the past with some impunity and their key agitators avoiding jail time for contempt of court by the narrowest of margins.
It remains to be seen how this plays out, if cooler and more rational minds prevail at KALPA or if the hotheads carry the day and if they are tempted to tear up court orders and risk jail time should they be ordered to refrain from calling for strikes, slow go’s or induce their members to call in sick for no cause.
Meanwhile does KALPA remain the bane of Kenya Airways as incidentally also thought by fellow aviation union KAWU.
Watch this space.
