Cape Town — The South African Airways (SAA) announced that the pilots’ strike that started on Thursday 5 December 2024 was suspended in the early hours of Saturday morning.
In a statement, the SAA revealed that a resolution was reached following successful negotiations between the SAA Executive Management and the SAA Pilots Association (SAAPA). The negotiations led to an additional 1% increase, resulting in a total salary increase of 9.47%.
“As part of the agreement that broke the deadlock in wage negotiations, engagements on a continuous enterprise improvement program will continue over the next eight weeks. We are committed to implementing work-life concessions that should enhance the productivity of our world-acclaimed pilots,” SAA interim CEO, Professor John Lamola said.
More than 100 pilots returned to duty at noon on Saturday, while SAA is expected to return to 100% flight schedule on Sunday 8 December 2024.
The airline extended its heartfelt gratitude to its valued customers for their patience and support during this period.
According to IOL, the airline is now operating at 51% of its planned flights, including 66% of domestic flights, 30% of regional flights and 33% of international routes.
Lamola, previously explained that the association initially demanded a 30% increase in pilot salaries which was later reduced to 15.7% with benefits. He added that the salaries have been backdated to 1 April 2024, which was a significantly higher offer than the general increases in 2024.
SAA will take to the skies once again. A crippling pilots strike has been suspended. Unions and management reached a conditional agreement in the early hours of this morning. #eNCA‘s @HeidiGiokos has more details. #DStv403 pic.twitter.com/J3pusC5oQ2
— eNCA (@eNCA) December 7, 2024
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
