Stand by for strike season
In the motor and associated industries sector, there is unrest about salaries and conditions of service, while SAA pilots want to strike because of ‘extremely poor’ management at the national airline.
‘Talks with company have not yielded outcomes that give confidence in future.’
Pilots at the national carrier are so unhappy with the management of SA Airways (SAA) that the airline could be heading for the first strike by pilots in its 80-year history.
In June, the SAA Pilots’ Association (Saapa) began canvassing its members on their perception of the airline’s management. The survey, carried out by an independent service provider, asked each pilot her or his view on the appropriate action necessary to ensure a turnaround to sustainability at SAA.
Nearly 81% of the SAA pilots responded to the survey.
A total of 91% said operations management was “poor” to “extremely poor”, 96% were in favour of taking a “proactive stand” to force change at the airline, and 90% were in favour of engaging in protected industrial action to enforce a higher standard.
“It needs to be understood that the decision to embark on industrial action is not one that the pilots of SAA will take lightly,” a statement by Saapa read yesterday.
“The pilots of SAA and the leadership of Saapa cannot allow SAA to continue as if it is business as usual. Our numerous engagements with the company have not yielded outcomes that give us confidence in the future of the airline.”
The statement says that the skills deficit must urgently be addressed.
Saapa claims the majority of recent appointments are in an acting capacity, reminiscent of former chairperson Dudu Myeni’s era where appointments were made based on allegiances instead of skills and experience.
In the last 18 months, two expensive organisational designs were carried out and yet nothing had been implemented, the statement read.
This included a new acting chief executive officer, Zuks Ramasia, former general manager for operations, named in June.
According to the airline’s board, it is still searching for a permanent CEO with appropriate experience and expertise to stabilise the company and oversee the implementation of the long-term turnaround strategy.
The board acknowledged the critical financial circumstances
confronting the company and is in ongoing discussions with the department of public enterprises, National Treasury and financial institutions to put in place a financial structure appropriate to supporting the long-term sustainability of the company, it said.
“The board and executive management met with the labour unions to provide assurances that the turnaround strategy remains on track and will continue to involve all key stakeholders in rolling out the implementation of the strategy.” –