NAIROBI - Pilots at Kenya Airways plan to go on strike from Saturday to seek better working conditions in defiance of a court order, adding to the woes of the troubled national carrier.
The airline, part owned by the government and Air France-KLM, is one of the biggest in Africa, connecting multiple countries to Europe and Asia, but it is facing turbulent times, including years of losses.
The Kenya Airlines Pilots Association (KALPA) said a series of meetings with airline management had failed to resolve grievances.
No Kenya Airways flight flown by KALPA pilots will depart Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport from 6:00 am (0300 GMT) on Saturday, said union secretary general Murithi Nyaga, without specifying how long the strike would last.
"Kenya Airways management's actions have left us with no other option," Nyaga said, adding that a 14-day notice on the industrial action had ended without a solution.
"We had hoped that the management of the airline would soften its stance and engage in negotiation on the issues raised."
The pilots, who have had a particularly fraught relationship with management, are pressing for the reinstatement of contributions to a provident fund.
They also want back payment of all salaries stopped during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Kenya Airways on Wednesday warned the strike would jeopardise its recovery and said the pilots' grievances did not warrant such action.
"Industrial action is unnecessary," board chairman Michael Joseph said. "It will delay and disrupt the financial and operational recovery and cause reputational damage to Kenya Airways."
On Monday, the airline won a court injunction stopping the strike, but the pilots' union has nevertheless vowed to down tools.