Striking pilots have hit back at Transport CS Kipchumba Murkomen over his remarks that the industrial action is meant to sabotage the government.
Murkomen on Saturday said he had been saddened by the ongoing work boycott by Kenya Airways pilots, terming the strike action unlawful and economic sabotage.
But in a rejoinder, the pilots have said that was the only option left to push the management to the table to hold a sober discussion.
“We again reiterate that the management has made no meaningful effort to have a discussion on these issues,” Captain Murithi Nyagah said.
“The purpose of this industrial action is not to test the new government seeing that they have just taken office. There are painstaking issues that have been on the table for far too long and KALPA family believes that the time is right to have them resolved once and for all,” he added.
Nyagah said that since KAPLA issued the industrial action notice the only meeting held so far have been under the hospices of COTU and the national government through the ministries of transport and labour.
The pilots said they are amicable towards and remain committed to any genuine efforts aimed at resolving the current stalemate, adding that all the striking pilots are available are the Rubani centre and ready to resume work with immediate effect should a lasting solution be arrived at.
“We worked tirelessly throughout last night and shared our revised proposals with KQ management. Until now we are yet to hear back from them. This again demonstrates that it is KQ management failure that has gotten us to this point.”
The CS had insisted that the strike is illegal because of the existence of a court order, but said the decision on how to deal with that would be a management issue of KQ.
"The government is willing to listen to the issues they are raising but let us do that within the law by first stopping the strike and coming to the negotiating table,” he said.
