Fastjet to retrench workers by 12pc

Dar es Salaam. Fastjet Tanzania will retrench some of its employees as it seeks to reduce its headcount by up to 12 per cent, the company said yesterday.

General manager Tim Lee-Foster said in a statement yesterday that the retrenchment would be carried after comprehensive consultations with its employees.

Since its launch in November 2012, Fastjet has significantly expanded the Tanzanian air transport market by almost halving the cost of tickets on the routes it serves. It has sold over 40,000 tickets at its lowest fare of Sh32,000. A research conducted by the airline indicates that up to 38 per cent of its customers had never previously flown.

“In order to continue to make airline travel accessible and affordable to the Tanzanian public by sustaining our low-fares, we continually monitor our operations to ensure that the company is efficient and cost-effective,” said Mr Lee-Foster.

The company has announced that it will be engaging with its cabin crew staff at a consultation meeting tomorrow [Friday, the 23rd of August] when it will communicate the reasons for the intended retrenchment of cabin crew staff and discuss possible measures to minimise the number of retrenchment.

The selection criteria for retrenchments will be outlined, along with the details of severance packages for those employees affected.

An earlier consultation process, that has now been completed, resulted in nine employees from the airline’s Operations and Commercial ground–based departments across its Arusha, Mwanza and Dar es Salaam locations being released from their duties.

“We are very conscious of the effects that redundancy can have on individuals and their families, and we will always take every possible action to avoid these measures,” Mr Lee-Foster added.

“Where it is not possible to retain staff through training and redeployment to other roles, we are making every effort to consult with all parties involved, before we make decisions that impact on livelihoods.”

This comes as the airline is about to launch its first international route – slated for September 27, between Dar es Salaam and Johannesburg.

Once the Dar es Salaam- Johannesburg route gets established, it will continue to push for the expansion of its international route network.

Flights to Zambia, Kenya and Rwanda are on the cards as it seeks to become a true pan-African low-cost airline.

When Fastjet’s new international routes are operational, the company says it will again increase its staff complement, according to its business needs.fastjet has committed to informing employees affected by the current reduction in headcount of any new positions as they become available, before searching for other candidates to fill them.

The most appropriate location to keep updatedabout potential job openings is on the fastjet website at www.fastjet.com/tz/careers

Fastjet has invested over $15 million in developing its business in Tanzania with a significant amount of this investment going into salaries for its Tanzanian employees.

Even after this rationalisation process is complete, the company will be maintaining more than 147 jobs, and has a clear intention to create more jobs in the country in the coming months and years.