Nairobi — Kenya Airways CEO Allan Kilavuka has said there will be no negotiation with the striking pilots unless they go back to work.
Speaking during a press briefing at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport(JKIA) on Monday, Kilavuka said the airline had given the pilots room to talk through the Kenya Airline Pilots Association(KALPA) but with their ongoing unlawful strike he wants them back at work before any discussions.
"There will be no negotiation until the pilots are back at work, I want them to go back to work because they are costing us a lot of money, they are sabotaging this country, and they have been belligerent. They are trying to hold us hostage so let them go back to work before we have any other discussion," said Kilavuka.
"The more they stay out there, the more we don't have money to pay their salaries. So, they need to go back to work if they want this airline to continue functioning."
Kilavuka noted that the airline advertising the jobs for the pilot and first officer positions is not in bad faith as things have to continue moving.
"The pilots have refused to come back to work, we have told them to come back to work repeatedly so that we can talk, but things have to continue," Kilavuka said maintaining that those who want to continue working for the airline should report to work immediately.
So far, Kilavuka noted that 132 pilots had registered with the airlines' operations teams as unfit to fly. This is part of the Collective Bargaining Agreement(CBA) that allows pilots a 48-hour window not to provide any evidence of being unfit to fly.
"132 pilots being sick is abnormal and out of work completely with the normal trends, we believe that this is a means of them avoiding coming to work while protecting themselves against disciplinary action," he said.
Kilavuka noted that it has been hard to have conversations with the pilots as they have refused to budge even an inch.
"There comes a time where it becomes very difficult to have discussions with people who have become belligerent, we have tried to give counter offers after counter offers but now am beginning to wonder what exactly is the purpose of this strike, there might be another motive to this strike," he said.
For disciplinary action, he said it doesn't necessarily mean firing the pilots but everyone will need to be held accountable for their actions.
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"The pilots, who are on strike, will have to be held individually and collectively accountable for the losses the airline has suffered and the reputational damage done to the airline," he said
The CEO noted that as of 2:00 pm Monday afternoon, the airline had restored 20 per cent of its network of daily operations.
"We will operate 18 flights out of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport carrying over 2,000 passengers to Addis Ababa (2 flights), Johannesburg, Entebbe, Mombasa (2 flights) Dar es Salaam, Harare, Lusaka, and London," said Kilavuka.
The airline has also reduced the number of disrupted passengers to around 9,000 from 12,000 yesterday by working with partner airlines such as Jambojet.
Pilots on Saturday downed their tools accusing the airline's management for dishonoring their plights.
KALPA also accused KQ of victimization and said that its officials and members have been harassed by the national carrier through sacking and intimidation.
On Monday, the Association in a statement said it is the only party in the matter that has been making all attempts to bridge the gap between KQ management and members.
"Despite all their non-committal actions to resolve the stalemate, we continue to urge KQ management to come to the table and negotiate with an open mind," said KALPA.
