Cabin crew warns SAA
‘Meet our demands or else’ App will connect informal and formal markets
THE SA Airways Cabin Crew Association (Sacca) has vowed to resume its suspended strike action if the national airline fails to meet its demands.
Sacca said it decided to return to work to wait for the outcome of its application against an interim court interdict obtained by SAA this week to stop the strike.
The association’s president, Zazi Nsibanyoni-anyiam, said its members would “definitely” go back on strike if the airline failed to meet their demands.
“All members of Sacca are back at work, we have been interdicted. That means there is no need for us to be on the streets at the moment,” said Nsibanyoni-anyiam.
“We are hoping to engage with the company. All we ask is for them to come to the table so we can come up with an agreement.”
This week Sacca members went on strike to demand a $170 (R2 220.80) a day meal allowance when travelling overseas.
The employees are currently receiving an allowance of $131 (R1 712.85) from the airline.
The strike came after talks with SAA management deadlocked, resulting in the cancellation of more than 30 flights.
On Wednesday, SAA obtained a court interdict against Sacca, forcing its members to abandon the strike.
Nsibanyoni-anyiam said the cabin crew members wanted the amount paid for the meal allowance to be reviewed as it had not been increased in the six years.
“However, it has been an inconvenience to so many South Africans who were affected by the cancellations of other flight services during the strike,” said Nsibanyoni-anyiam.
Yesterday, Sacca launched an appeal against the court interdict, charging that it was not given enough time to respond to SAA’S application in the Labour Court on Wednesday. Nsibanyoni-anyiam said the Sacca members would remain at work until the appeal was finalised in the next few days.
“We need to respect the law and also respect the legal processes. Once we get our final outcome from the labour court, we will then act.
“The company has been extremely quiet but we have been engaging, so we are still waiting and hoping to hear from them very soon.”
SAA said it was happy that the strikers had returned to work as prolonged industrial action would affect the airline’s already precarious financial position.
Airline faces being grounded again as cabin crew vow to resume strike if demands aren’t met.
“We are pleased that the strike has ended. Employees are back at work and our operations have returned to normal. We will now focus on resolving the impasse,” spokesperson Tlali Tlali said.
“The procedures are provided for in the laws regulating labour relations between the employers and the employees. One of the conditions is for the CCMA (Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration) to issue a certificate of resolution and there are steps to be followed once the certificate is issued.”
But Nsibanyoni-anyiam insisted that only the successful resolution of the demands would prevent another strike.
“If the final decision doesn’t result in better working conditions and increase the meal allowances, they will definitely go back on strike until they reach a mutual agreement with the airline,” she said. DURBAN-BASED technology company Spazapp has launched an app for spaza store owners that it hopes will connect users directly to bulk-buying opportunities and business support.
Spazapp chief executive Tim Strang said the company aimed to uplift thousands of families and youth by empowering trading in the informal sector with free and smart technology.
“Informal traders can now lower the cost of essential groceries sold by placing orders for free directly from large suppliers without having to shut down their store, pay for transport, or miss out on bulk-buying savings because of cash-flow constraints.”
Strang said the company was actively connecting the informal market in southern Africa to the globalised formal market while encouraging skills development and readily accessible employment opportunities.
Spazapp is a free android app that gives traders the ability to order directly from big brands and suppliers.
Register
Traders need only register on the app with their cellphones and make an ATM deposit or EFT transfer into their automatically created e-wallet to buy and receive goods. The app also allows for the selling of airtime, data and life insurances policies, eliminating the expense of hired equipment to print vouchers.
A director at Kingson Capital Partners, Ross Jenvey, said that Spazapp provided a muchneeded solution which was viable.
We aim to invest in companies that are using technology to disrupt the industries they are operating in.
“Spazapp fits our mandate. We aim to invest in companies that are using technology to disrupt the industries they are operating in and opening new ways of doing business. We have experience in distribution in our investment company,” said Jenvey.
The Durban-based Kingson provides venture capital for companies and strategises their route to market dominance.
Rapidly
Small and medium-sized businesses (SMB) have been moving rapidly towards adopting mobile platforms to grow their businesses in recent years. According to research from Clutch, 42 percent of SMBS have built their own mobile apps.
The report survey also indicated that small businesses are increasingly viewing apps as a worthwhile tool to improve business operations and return on investment.
Around 67 percent of SMBS surveyed said they plan to have a mobile app by the end of this year.
Spazapp has recently partnered with the ethekweni Municipality to grow micro-business in the city by introducing technology such as Spazapp to local traders so as to create sustainable township businesses that are connected, save money, increase their profits, and trade more competitively.
Strang said helping small businesses to innovate would help them to shelter themselves from economic and political headwinds in the country.
“With the expected after-effects of the junk rating, South Africa’s main markets are going to face challenges to survive. It’s with innovation and scalable technical solutions that we can solve and help make it more efficient and cost-effective to serve this market, thus uplifting the communities that need it most.”