Airport workers around country to strike

AIRLINES and the Airports Company of South Africa are adamant that sufficient backup plans are in place at the country’s airports to cope with the start of a strike by members of the South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu) tomorrow.

More than 1 300 employees of South African Airways’s technical division are scheduled to down tools from 6am tomorrow after wage talks between the airline and the union collapsed on Friday.

These union members are responsible for key functions at the airports that allow for the landing and takeoff of hundreds of daily flights from airports.

These include the busiest — OR Tambo International, Cape Town International and King Shaka International in Durban.

They are responsible for refuelling domestic and international aircraft, certifying aeroplanes to be fit for takeoff and carrying out minor on-site repairs.

It has been more than 10 years since they last downed tools.

The union has warned passengers scheduled to travel on SAA, Mango, Kulula, British Airways, Qantas, Turkish Airlines, Air Mauritius and Rwanda Air that the airports would “come to a standstill”.

Comair, the company operating British Airways and lowcost South African airline Kulula, said it had plans in place to manage the situation.

The company’s executive for commercial distribution, Iain Meaker, said: “Comair is aware of the situation, is monitoring it closely and has contingency plans in place.”

However, Kenya Airways said it was unaware of the strike. The airline’s OR Tambo operations team leader, Themba Zwane, said it had not made any alternative plans by yesterday.

“Normally, when we are aware of such actions, we bring our own technicians from Nairobi,” he said.

SAA spokesman Tlali Tlali said the airline was satisfied with its contingency plans and would “activate measures to ensure there is no disruption”. He added that previous strikes by this division had failed to draw big numbers.

Satawu general secretary Zenzo Mahlangu said the decision to go on strike had “overwhelming support” from the union’s 1 300 members nationwide.

The union is demanding that SAA gives its members a oneoff payment in addition to a 6.5% pay hike.