SAA Management And Unions At An Impasse As Potentially Crippling Strike Gets Underway

Riyaz Patel

Interim SAA CFO Deon Fredricks said management had “bent over backwards” to make a deal with striking workers, with unions accusing the airline of “grandstanding.”

The National Union of Metalworkers (Numsa), the SA Cabin Crew Association (Sacca) and the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) are angry over restructuring plans which could see more than 900 job slashed at the airline.

Speaking in New York, Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan said bluntly “If some tough decisions need to be made, we’ll make them SAA is not too big to fail.”

The unions have also rejected the carrier’s 5.9% pay increase offer, demanding 8%.

Some of the unions are politically motivated, Gordhan said.

“They’re risking the future of the airline and the jobs of everybody else. Hopefully they come to their senses before we go too far.”

Fredricks said “We’d given them a new offer that we will