Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has asked the government to find a lasting solution to the woes bedevilling national carrier Kenya Airways.
Sifuna, who was making a statement on the floor of the House on Tuesday, warned that the airline risks sinking deeper into losses if its affairs continue to be politicised.
“It is time to end the economic and labour relations madness at Kenya Airways,” he said.
As he made his statement, striking pilots were directed to obey a court order that stopped their industrial action.
Employment and Labour Relations Court Judge Anna Mwaure said the pilots should resume work on Wednesday, November 9, by 6 am.
The orders followed hours of unsuccessful deliberations between the airline and the pilots.
In Parliament, Sifuna said victimisation, threats and constant sacking of the union pilots as they try and defend the integrity of the national airline is not the way to go.
“It is costly because the airline has previously ended up in court for mishandling labour issues this way. In 2014, KQ was forced to reinstate 400 retrenched staff, a very costly affair, because the right procedures were not followed in carrying out the exercise,” he said.
He regretted that pilots are being threatened as passengers continue to suffer at the various airports.
“When will the government learn that chest-thumping will only ruin chances of a long-term solution to avert these cases in the future?” he posed.
He said recent events at the national carrier are an embarrassment, costly and are crippling the country’s transport operations
“When the pilots gave their notice on October 19, negotiations should have been stepped up to avert this, but instead intimidation was deployed after Kenya Airways obtained a court injunction on October 31 from the Employment and Labour Relations Court against the strike notice,” he said.
Sifuna said every possible effort should be made to ensure the situation does not deteriorate.
