Cape Town — South African Airways (SAA) pilots have embarked on a nationwide strike as they look to negotiate a 15% wage increase.
The strike is currently underway at OR Tambo International Airport and as a result, many domestic and international air routes have been affected as of Thursday 5 December.
According to IOL, SAA said a travel advisory has been issued and customers booked to fly with SAA have been re-accommodated to the next available flight operated by SAA.
“We urge our trade partners to manage their booking queues and communicate these changes to our valued customers accordingly,” SAA said.
The strike length remains unclear but it is believed it will impact SAA-operated routes including Johannesburg to Cape Town, Durban, Gqeberha, Windhoek and Mauritius.
[WATCH] Pilots affiliated with the South African Airways Pilots Association and the National Transport Movement Pilots Forum have downed tools demanding a wage increase of 15%. @NtoksKhumalo reports from OR Tambo International Airport. pic.twitter.com/WbjaLEPyAZ
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) December 5, 2024
In an interview with SABC News, SAA Pilots spokesperson, Sibusiso Nxumalo, said today was just the start of an indefinite strike, of which two pilot’s associations have taken a stance to embark on the strike.
“It is not something that we wanted, but we’ve had eight months of engagement with the company, and within those eight months, we’ve only had 4.5 days of actual negotiations. When we tabled our demands, it was not met by the company and we unfortunately had to get to this point,” he said.
Nxumalo said the companies have told them the airline is sustainable and operational, with more routes set to open. He said the employees want to be part of that.
“Our increase that we demanded is conditional to the company giving us better working conditions and conditions of employment. It doesn’t mean it is a monetary value and it’s not the 15.7% or 30% that was alluded to publicly. The 30% was initially a discussion on u getting back the salary cuts we took during Covid,” he said.
He added that the 15.7% was on condition of working conditions being improved and that is the crux of the purpose behind the strike.
SAA pilots have declared plans to embark on a strike today over a wage dispute. The airline revealed that the South African Airways Pilots Association initially tabled a 30% wage increase demand when negotiations started in May. SABC News reporter Katlego Legodi has more. pic.twitter.com/AfmRoXVI2c
— SABC News (@SABCNews) December 5, 2024
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
