Kenya Airways over the weekend sacked about 22 of its Nigerian workers, representing 86.4 per cent of its Nigerian workers. In an unprecedented move t
Kenya Airways over the weekend sacked about 22 of its Nigerian workers, representing 86.4 per cent of its Nigerian workers. In an unprecedented move that has infuriated aviation union workers who have vowed to disrupt the airline’s operations in the country from this week. A source close to the airline said that the affected staff were issued their disengagement letters over the weekend at the airline’s office in Lagos in the presence of stern looking policemen engaged by the airline to forestall any violent protest or possible breakdown of law and order by the sacked workers.
According to the source, only four Nigerians were retained by the management of the airline after the retrenchment exercise that affected workers across board. The affected staff was only given four weeks wages on disengagement by the management, and this is one of the reasons that the industry unions are annoyed with the airline. General Secretary of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Mr Olayinka Abioye confirmed the sack of the 22 workers from Kenya Airways.
According to him, the sack of the workers is illegal especially at a time the airline management and labour had reached an agreement to implement some of the reviewed conditions of service for the workers. He revealed the Nigerian staff was being owed about 26 months monetary benefits. They claimed that they won’t be able to pay all, but after consultations, agreed for 16 months to be paid to the workers.
