South African Airways (SAA) says it has received a notification from one of the labour unions of their intention to take part in industrial action.
“SAA would like to advise its customers and stakeholders that the airline has been served with a notice of intention to embark on industrial action by one of the labour unions. The industrial action is a consequence of a wage increase disagreement between the employer and labour unions,” said the national carrier.
SAA’s maintenance subsidiary, SAA Technical (SAAT), received a notice of the intention to embark on industrial action at the weekend from one labour union following the tabling of a wage increase proposal by SAAT.
On Tuesday, the national carrier said parties have held several other meetings since the notice was served and are expected to meet again on Wednesday morning.
“Once SAA received the notification, the airline began to review and update its contingency measures to ensure business continuity and to minimise the impact of strike action on its operations.”
SAA said it would issue follow-up communication on Wednesday morning after the meeting with the unions, advising its customers on whether the strike is in fact taking place or the extent to which the strike has affected its operations, if at all.
“In the event the strike takes place, SAA will provide all possible and necessary assistance to customers who may need such support. Information on the status of our flights will be placed on all official channels of communication, including social media accounts and updated on a continuous basis.”
Management at SAAT will spare no effort to work jointly with the labour unions to find solutions that accommodate the employee demands, safeguard the business and to avert possible industrial action, said SAA.
