A union representing 1,500 Kenya Airways workers including engineers and cabin crew threatened on Sunday to strike at the week's end over what it called low pay and preferential treatment for expatriates.
The Aviation and Allied Workers Union said its membership - unrecognised by the Kenyan national carrier known locally as KQ - also included ground staff and customer service workers.
Kenya Airways, one of Africa's few profitable national carriers, operates out of Nairobi - a major air transport hub for Africa for both passengers and cargo.
"We intend to go on strike because Kenya Airways has refused to recognise the workers' union and the rights of its members ... KQ only recognises the Transport Allied Workers' Union (TAWU) that has only 200 members. We feel it is unfair," union General Secretary Jimi Masege told a press conference.
He accused the carrier of hiring foreign staff at higher rates, at the expense of locally qualified people.
"An expatriate is paid as much as 150,000 shillings ($2,070) per month while Kenyan staff get only 18,000 shillings ($248)," Masege said. "In fact, they plan to employ 41 engineers whereas there are a lot of qualified people locally."
Kenya Airways spokesman declined to comment on the allegations. "There are two different unions within KQ but we have only signed an agreement with TAWU," Kenya Airways spokesman Michael Okwiri said.
In a statement sent later by e-mail, Okwiri said KQ had written to the Labour Ministry about its intention to stop recognising the TAWU so it could recognise AAWU. But the Labour Ministry has yet to respond, he said. "We shall therefore continue dealing with the recognised union as we await a decision," the statement said.
The airline signed a collective bargaining agreement on Friday with TAWU that awarded its members a 15.5 percent salary increase over the next two years.
Kenya Airways is 26 percent owned by KLM, the Dutch arm of Air France.
In May, the airline reported an after-tax profit of 4.83 billion shillings, a 24 percent leap that surpassed a 28-year record set the previous financial year.
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