A disastrous weekend of strikes for Kenya's national airline Kenya Airways.
The agitation announced last Friday by the pilots of the troubled airline, which in many ways resembles our former Alitalia, was confirmed Saturday morning and in two days left thousands (from 10 to 20k) passengers stranded and saw more than 20 flights canceled, some of whom were unable to leave with re-bookings on other flights and had to spend two nights in Nairobi, in hotels at Kenya Airways' own expense. For its part, as some passengers confirmed to national Citizen TV, the company's own employees have advised them to book other flights if they want to leave soon.
The inconveniences have increased because of so-called "code sharing," which is the Kenyan company's flights made to different European destinations in agreement with other lines, such as Air France, KLM and British Airways. Domestic flights to Mombasa and flights to Entebbe, Uganda, were announced to resume on Sunday evening.
Kenya Airways pilots have crossed arms because of the labor contract, which has not been renewed since before the pandemic and for which top management does not seem to want to take into account adjustments and compensation for problems during the lockdown.
Transport Minister Kipchumba Murkomen called on the Kenya Airline Pilots Association (KALPA) to suspend the strike and return to the bargaining table.
The Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU) said the strike will go on until the pilots' demands are met or a serious negotiating table is opened. The union also reportedly called for the resignation of the company's top executives. KAWU General Secretary Moss Ndiema said a court order issued on Aug. 15, 2022, gave KAWU workers permission to strike as a result of an impasse over the non-implementation of a collective bargaining agreement).