Nairobi, Kenya – The Labour Court has granted the Kenyan national carrier (KQ) up to 14 days to resolve recent issues on pilot strikes affecting thousands of passengers and cargo in most of Africa’s aviation hubs.
The case was presided over by Judge Anne Mwaure who gave the disputing parties more time for negotiations after finding out the government formed a committee to investigate the issue.
The Judge directed Kenya Airways not to take disciplinary issues to the striking pilots as they proceed to a reconciliation process.
Also, the Judge instructed the national carrier and leaders from Kenya Airline Pilots Association (KALPA), representing the interests of over 400 striking pilots, to provide timely feedback on the process to the court on 6th December.
She congratulated both parties on the case because it was a difficult moment for all sides, and they needed instant solutions to their challenges.
She encouraged the involved parties to explore other dispute resolution avenues helping the national carrier to continue with the uninterrupted business.
This comes after KQ lawyer Leyla Ahmed informed the court they first met on 18th November to plan the mediation process.
Lawyer Levi Munyeri informed Judge Mwaure they were flying without harassment and intimidation from the employers due to the court’s intervention. The court allowed the pilots more time to file their responses in the case.
The pilots had downed their tools on 4th November after the “unilateral stoppage of both the employees and the employer’s contributions to the provident fund since 2020 and have failed to resume the retirement scheme.”
The pilot’s association cited harassment from the employer
triggering the strike. They cited other grievances as non-compliance to the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and leadership rows.
On the contrary, the national carrier wanted to sue the pilot’s association for disobeying a court order of 31st October requiring them to end the strike leading to the grounding of planes and affecting service delivery.
