COTU-K Supports KALPA’s bid to Disband Board & Management of KQ

RE: COTU (K)’S POSITION ON THE DISBANDMENT OF THE BOARD AND TOP MANAGEMENT OF KENYA AIRWAYS

The Central Organization of Trade Unions, COTU (K) fully supports the position taken by its affiliate Trade Union, Kenya Airline Pilots Association (KALPA) that the top management of Kenya Airways and its Board of Directors must be disbanded and pave way for new leadership at the National Airline.

Whereas it is in the public domain that the airline reported a net loss of 26.2billion as at March 2016 having made a gross loss of 25billion last year, COTU (K) is alive to the fact that the decision makers and implementers who are the Board and the top management should be held accountable and not the workers. It is not lost to COTU (K) that at one time in the year 2006, Kenya Airways shares were trading at a high of about Kshs.170 per share but today, they are trading at a low of Kshs.2.8 per share signaling a general aversion of the shares at the stock market. Kenya Airways has dropped from the top 20 Nairobi Stock Exchange share index confirming a loss of public interest in the company.

The decision by its top management to announce the implementation of the staff rationalization exercise is retrogressive. Bad Board and Management decisions on the running of the national Airline has made rationalization of staff to be a scapegoat instead of dealing with real issues at their level

It is further noted that the company is sacking local employees and instead hiring foreigners including pilots and therefore exporting Labour out of the country and casualising the remaining jobs instead of creating employment for Kenyans. You may recall that in the year 2012 staff rationalization was undertaken on the same excuses but no changes have been taken place in terms of profitability up to date.

As much as we appreciate the Government of Kenya efforts to cushion the national Airline from insolvency these exercises should be handled by a newly constituted professional Board and Management whose mandate should be to save the airline from total collapse, save jobs for Kenyan workers and create more jobs so as to achieve economic growth.

COTU (K) therefore supports the stand by its affiliate union, KALPA that the Board and the top management of Kenya Airways should be reconstituted as soon as possible.

Francis Atwoli, NOM (DZA), EBS, MBS

SECRETARY GENERAL