RwandAir employees face 65% pay cut

Rwanda’s national airline, RwandAir, has announced it will start to cut the net salaries of its employees by between 8% and 65%.

The decision was made in an effort to mitigate serious losses faced by the airline brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

It has also extended the suspension of contracts for its pilots and non-essential staff until further notice.

In a memo the airline said the moves had been designed to “avoid laying-off staff”.

“This was an extremely tough decision, however, the choice we made is the best option at this time”, the memo read.

An airhostess who wished to remain anonymous said the move had not surprised her.

“It is very sad, we are always expecting the worst this time around. This is the hardest time I am going through in my four years with RwandAir”, she said.

The carrier that flies to 26 international destinations in Africa, Asia and Europe stopped flights on 19 March after Rwanda announced restrictive measures to halt the spread of the virus.

The country reported eight new cases of coronavirus on Sunday taking the total tally to 191 with 92 recoveries and no fatalities.

Photo: Getty Images