The tragedy that is Kenya Airways

 The few employees who were on a nine-month long KQ internship were convinced into signing CDL contracts at a lower cost than their colleagues Photo: Courtesy

It is common knowledge that not all airline crew in red and maroon uniforms work for Kenya Airways (KQ). Almost 75 per cent of the Kenyans commonly seen in KQ official colours are actually employees of Career Directions Limited (CDL), an outsourced labour management and recruitment agency founded in early 2003 by its current Managing Director Lucy Mmari.

On September 6, 2012, KQ announced the end to their staff rationalisation programme that saw the airline send home close 600 employees. At that time 453 employees were sacked with 125 reportedly opting for early retirement.

What followed was the outsourcing of over 500 staff and cabin crew from CDL from 2012 as part of its cost-cutting measures. The plan was to have the CDL crew deployed on various KQ on a deal that would see CDL charging KQ a ‘handling fee’ an essential compensation for the recruitment.

Four years down the line, the exercise has turned tragic and discriminatory. The few employees who were on a nine-month long KQ internship were convinced into signing CDL contracts at a lower cost than their colleagues.

One of the ‘Inflight Attendant Intern/Trainee’ contracts between KQ and an unnamed crew written and signed on October 28, 2011 by Elga Too, then Human resources Relationship Manager reads:

Further to your interview with Kenya Airways for the role of In-flight Attendant, the company is pleased to offer you an internship/training effective November 1, 2011 on the terms set out in this letter.

You will undergo a total of three months of internship at the Kenya Airways In-flight Services...” On January 18, 2012, the said individual was issued with an ‘Inflight Attendant Trainee- Contract Renewal’ stating that his internship programme had been extended for an additional six months.

“Your internship trainee programme has been extended for a period of six months effective February 1, 2012 to July 31, 2012. You will be part of Crew Compliment on domestic and regional flights and/or any other designated flights as assigned.”

Within the ranks at Kenya Airways, those who are directly employed are referred to as senior staff while outsourced services are openly referred to as CDKQ.

Documents from the country’s national carrier reveal that today, CDL employs Cabin Crew, Ground Crew, Customer Service Agents, Sales Agents, Call Centre Agents and a team at the Finance Department for Kenya Airways. The arm of CDL keeps growing spreading up to low cost carrier Jambo Jet whose crew is called Career Directions Jambo Jet (CDJJ).

A crew from West Africa confided in The Nairobian that CDL even hires airline crew from Ghana and Cameroon who are allegedly paid even lower rates than their Kenyan counterparts. Last week saw close to 600 employees down their tools over failure of the airline to listen and dialogue with the agency contracted crew.

The policies in place by KQ openly ghettoise on CDL employees. According to flight attendants, CDKQ crew is not allowed to conduct on flight duty free sales as long as there is a KQ crew on board. “The rule is created to give such chances only to senior crew. As such a Boeing 787 that should have 11 to 12 cabin crew many a times only leaves with less than 9. Of the 9, at least six are normally CDKQ because they do the donkey work while we sit and carry out light duties on business class. None of the CDKQ crew merits to be a flight passer as such, the other senior KQ Crew on board are the only ones entitled to do sales because we earn a 4% commission on every item sold on board,” narrated a source who is among the longest serving directly employed KQ flight attendants.

On the event that there is no Flight Passer, a crew is selected to be the Acting Flight Passer. Should the AFP be a KQ direct flight attendant, he or she is entitled to allowances similar to an FP but if he or she is a CDKQ, the airline pays them nothing in compensation.

Then there are ground administrative crew who have been working on acting capacity for over a year, some claim that since they are CDKQ they can never be confirmed or even promoted to such roles, they are ‘doomed to act till the day Jesus will return.’

The Glaring Disparities between KQ and CDL Staff

Non defined career path, your chances of growing within the ranks are close to nil while your colleagues from KQ are entitled to regular trainings and promotion based on their experience and qualification.

CDKQ staff are only given a single status medical cover with a Sh 50 000 outpatient cover and Sh 500 000 in patient

                             KQ                               CDL

Basic Pay             59 000                         40 000

Meal Allowance     9 100                            5200

Shift Allowance     9 000

House Allowance 29 320

 

Gross Total          106 437                        45200