Thousands of passengers of South African Airways have been stranded across the world since Friday when the airline’s staff commenced a strike action aimed at getting the management to rescind its decision to sack close to 1000 workers. Many of the passengers who had their flights cancelled were advised by the airline to rebook their flights for next week hoping the strike is called off by next week. Those mostly affected are passengers on its London, Frankfurt, Washington D.C, New York, Lagos, Accra, Abuja, Dubai among others.
Though the airline began negotiations with the unions today but not much was achieved as it was also battling to manage the deluge in flight cancellations and customers complaints from across the world. The unions say that more than 3,000 of the company’s 5,000 employees, both ground and cabin workers, are participating in the strike. The workers are demanding wage increases and the end of a restructuring plan that could lead to the loss of hundreds of jobs
The airline canceled nearly all international and domestic flights it operates on Friday and Saturday after two major unions, the South African Cabin Crew Association and the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa ordered their members to down tools starting Friday. The strike which was announced shortly after the airline said it is launching a restructuring process that could affect nearly 950 employees saying the airline is facing numerous challenges including insufficient revenue and an aging fleet.
.On Friday and Saturday, SAA cancelled more than 300 flights on both domestic and international routes. The company announced today that the unions had agreed to sit at the bargaining table. “It is in the public interest that this dispute be resolved,” SAA Human Resources Manager Martin Kemp said in a statement welcoming “the unions’ willingness to find a solution. “We are focused on finding a solution that meets employee demands, saves the company and restores normal operations,” he added.
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SAA unions are calling for an 8% wage increase and a three-year employment guarantee, while the company is proposing a 5.9% increase. South African Airways is one of Africa’s leading airlines with a fleet of more than 50 aircraft. But despite government loans, it has not made any profit since 2011 and is accumulating debts. South African Airways has warned that a continuation of the strike could be fatal to it. Its spokesman Tlali Tlali said, the company is losing 52 million rand (about €3.2 million) a day due to flight cancellations.
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry.