SAA strike far from over

CABIN CREW: UNION VOWS TO KEEP UP PRESSURE FOR HIGHER ALLOWANCE

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Flights cancelled but airline operations slowly return to normal.

Despite operations at South African Airways (SAA) returning to normal, the South African Cabin Crew Association (Sacca) said yesterday its legal team was working on a review of the interdict against them.

On Wednesday, about 200 flight attendants were gathered outside the SAA head office in Kempton Park in protest against low international meal allowances.

“Our members have returned to work to respect the law. Our legal team is drafting the review, we are just not sure when it will be ready,” Sacca president Zazi Sibanyoni-Mugambi said yesterday, following the interdict granted to SAA by the Labour Court to stop the strike.

Flight attendants are asking for a $170 (R2 200) international meal allowance – an increase from the $130 that they have been receiving for the past six years.

SAA’s affidavit said the strike was unprotected and asked that an order be granted by the court to restrain employees from participating in the strike.

The application also requested that an order be made for Sacca to desist from encouraging and promoting participation in the strike.

“We are still asking the company to come to the table and talk; we are ready to resolve this and, if not, we will continue and go back to the streets if management doesn’t want to engage with us,” Sibanyoni-Mugambi said.

A flight attendant, who wished to remain anonymous and who works in premium class at another international airline said: “Our allowances are calculated on average hotel menu prices. So they vary from destination to destination.

“We sometimes get $250 in Atlanta, but only $120 in Joburg. But that’s also because of exchange rates. It’s all relative.

“If crew in higher cabins are getting more, then that’s ridiculous.

“Good on them for striking. We don’t do that. We all get equal.”

Hundreds of desperate travellers queued at the SAA ticket sales desks at OR Tambo International Airport after their flights were delayed or cancelled because of the strike.

SAA said 32 flights were cancelled in total, which included 28 domestic, three regional and one international flight.

The airline said their board of directors was committed to further engaging with Sacca through a facilitated dispute resolution process over the next two months.

“We are hoping that we will be able to come to an amicable agreement with the union, while protecting the financial sustainability of the airline, even before the court date in June,” SAA said.

The airline could not be reached yesterday to answer questions about compensation for passengers who were inconvenienced by the strike. – ANA