KQ Staff On 6 Months Probation Program Terminated As Effects Of COVID-19 Hit Hard

National carrier Kenya Airways (KQ) has let go of employees on probationary appointment.

They include but not limited to pilots, cabin crew and engineers.

A source privy to the goings-on told Kahawa Tungu that those who have left the struggling airline joined the company barely two years ago.

Those shown the door, the source intimated were not in any union.

In a letter dated June 24 and signed by chief human resource officer Evelyn Munyoki, the probation program was scrapped due to financial constraints caused by the global pandemic.

They were given one month’s notice upon which they will be rendered jobless.

In the letter, Ms Munyoki asks the staffers to return company property, sign the necessary discharges and undergo an exit medical exam at the KQ Clinic.

After, they will get their salaries and all applicable allowances up to and including June 24, one month’s salary in lieu of notice and accrued leave days as at the date of notice.

On Friday, KQ CEO Allan Kilavuka said that the airline will effective July 6 send workers on unpaid leave.

“As we prepare for the anticipated resumption of domestic flight operations in Kenya, the projected depressed demand will require that we only keep the resources we will need for these operations. We will, therefore, request all staff who will not be required to support the reduced operations to proceed on unpaid leave effective Monday, 6th July 2020,” Kilavuka said in a statement.

He said the move follows essential consultations with relevant stakeholders and social partners seeking the best possible outcome for the company and its employees.

“While we have all put in a tremendous amount of work to keep our business afloat, it has become increasingly challenging to fulfill our obligations and maintain operations,” he said.

Mr Kivaluka also said that the airline’s short and medium term projections indicate that they will have to reduce operations before they can embark on an upward trend.

At the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic in March, KQ senior management took a 75 percent pay cut while other staff were sent on unpaid leave.

This was in response to the carrier being forced to ground its flights following lockdowns and borders closing in multiple countries.

Flights should resume as soon as July 6 when President Uhuru Kenyatta is expected to lift travel restrictions.

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