Keep off pilots’ strike, Cotu tells CS Murkomen

The Central Organisation Trade Union (Cotu) now want Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen to keep off the ongoing Kenya Airways pilots’ strike.

According to the union, by doing so, Mr Murkomen will be able to focus on improving the transport sector while also compelling the Ministry of Labour to rise to the occasion and, together with the striking pilots and the Kenya Airways management, come to an amicable arrangement.

Speaking at the union’s headquarters, Cotu’s deputy Secretary General, Benson Okwaro called out Labour CS Florence Bore for “not doing much’ to end the three-day strike of Kenya Airways pilots.

“Matters strikes and industrial disputes affecting the transport sector cannot be mediated by the Ministry of Transport. This is a matter within the mandate and prerogative of the Ministry of Labour,” Mr Okwaro said.

The trade union also faulted the national government for failing to lead negotiations between the pilots and their employer.

“It is alarming that CS Florence Bore is missing in action. The Government of Kenya has failed to initiate proper dialogue with both parties taking in mind the ministry that is being involved does not have the much-needed understanding of our industrial relations and how industrial disputes are solved,” he said.

Having engaged the Kenya Airline Pilots Association (Kalpa), Cotu questioned why the option of dialogue had been ruled out by KQ management yet it is one of the surest ways of ending any labour impasse whenever strikes happen.

Ernest Nadome, Cotu’s first Assistant Secretary General, criticised the Kenya Airways management for using a court injunction to arm twist the pilots back to work without dealing with the issues raised by the pilots.

“Before any strike, the employer is usually given a 14-day notice to give them a chance to solve issues. This is what Kalpa did but instead of being called for a meeting, the employer went to court to get an order in the eleventh hour,

“It is very unfair to use court orders to frustrate the workers. Do not suppress trade union movements by going to court,” he said.

The pilots’ union has defied a court order and sack threats by KQ management put down their tools for the third day after the Transport and Labour ministries failed to broker a deal.

Kalpa maintains none of its members will fly a KQ plane until their demands, including immediate reinstatement of the staff provident fund, are met.

The union, which is also pushing for the sacking of the KQ top management team, accused the airline of mishandling the labour dispute by allegedly refusing to engage them to end the impasse.

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