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More troubles for Kenya Airways as union ground Lagos services
Following the inability of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and management of Kenya Airways to reach labour truce, the union made good its threat as it grounded the operations of the airline by closing the carrier’s check-in counters at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
The action was as a result of alleged failure for the airline management to implement welfare programme for workers.
This is coming less than a month after the carrier sacked 140 technical staff for asking for more pay at a time the company is going through hard times.
As early as 7am, union members stormed the Lagos airport terminal with their placard with inscriptions and prevented the airline officials from carrying out their operations.
The union said it embarked on the action due to failure on the part of the airline to resolve lingering labour related issues.
To show their seriousness, the union members hoisted the flags of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) at the check in counters of Kenya Airways.
NUATE had last week given the carrier ultimatum to comply with its demands or face industrial actions.
The union made this known in a statement signed by its General Secretary of NUATE, Olayinka Olu Abioye
In a statement titled, “Notice Of Industrial Action Against The Management of Kenya Airways, Nigeria” the union stated that it had waited patiently over the months for Kenya Airways, Nairobi management to respond positively to the fundamental welfare demands of its Nigerian employees and implement the collective bargaining agreement with the union but that the airline has refused to respond.
Abioye added that as a result of the refusal of Kenya Airways to address the issues raised, “Notice is hereby given by the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) to all intending passengers on KQ that with effect from 1200midnight of Tuesday 5th. December 2017, all operations of Kenya Airways in Nigeria shall be grounded.”
“We hereby appeal to all intending passengers and other airport users and partners to bear with the workers and its Union as they embark on this industrial action for the safety and security of all parties, as you all know that a “disgruntled worker is an accident waiting to happen”, which we intend to prevent,” The union stated.
The union stated that the industrial action would be indefinite until the management of the airline address the issues and do the needful.
According to NUATE, “Nigerian workers’ patience in Kenya Airways has been exhausted and they cannot continue to suffer at the expense of certain other persons.”
The union solicited the co-operation and support of security agencies as the union embark on the industrial action, bearing in mind that an injury to one is an injury to others, while an injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere.
The airline has gone from one crisis to the other, thereby rubbishing the reputation of Africa’s once vibrant airline.
In November this year, the airline sacked 140 technical staff who went on strike over pay after issuing warning letters.
The workers, who downed their tools, remained holed up in KQ’s hangar at JKIA for the better part of that day, prompting the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) to disable their access passes in order to eject them from the site.
The employees, technicians and engineers, who fuel and service aircraft, wanted their salaries increased by up to three and a half times to match those of their counterparts in Middle East carriers.
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