South African Trade Unions Seek Court Action Over Job Cuts at SAA

Two South African trade unions are seeking court action to try to block layoffs at the embattled state-owned South African Airways (SAA), court papers seen by Reuters on Friday showed.

SAA entered a form of bankruptcy protection in December and rescue specialists Les Matuson and Siviwe Dongwana proposed severance packages for all of SAA’s roughly 5,000-strong workforce last month after the government said it would not provide any more funds.

They gave trade unions until the end of business on Friday to reach an agreement on staff severances. Otherwise, the specialists “will have to make an urgent application for an order discontinuing the business rescue proceedings and placing SAA into liquidation,” they said on April 23.

But in court papers lodged on Thursday, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) and the South African Cabin Crew Association (SACCA) have asked the Labour court to order the rescue team