South African Airways locked out all its pilots affiliated with the South African Airways Pilots’ Association (Saapa) on Friday, December 18.
The pilots were barred from accessing SAA’s premises after Saapa refused to sign a deal offered by the airline’s business rescue partners.
The deal includes an adjusted salary scale for the pilots, which are reportedly too high and hindering the recovery of the beleaguered national airline. 383 pilots are affected by the lockout.
SAA has locked all of its pilots from the premises on Friday.
‘As a shareholder on behalf of government, the department believes that one of the critical areas of a restructured SAA to get off the ground is to reduce the high cost structure caused by onerous contracts and high salaries and perks implemented under Saapa’s Regulating Agreement,’ said The Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) spokesperson Richard Mantu, in a statement.
Mantu’s statement laid into the RA, calling for its termination by declaring it a ‘financial burden’ and ‘unconstitutional’.
The DPE has publicly declared that it supports SAA’s business rescue partners’ (BRPs) decision to lock out the pilots ‘after protracted negotiations failed to yield agreements on new conditions of employment for a future restructured airline.’
‘This is the best opportunity to agree on new employment conditions, which will result in the restructured, sustainable, agile and technology savvy airline,’ said Mantu.
He said that the primary objective of the RA, which was signed in 1988, is to preserve undeserved privileges accrued through unjust laws.
‘We agree with the Business Rescue Practitioners and their insistence on addressing the RA, as it cannot become part of the new SAA. The RA is unconstitutional and unlawful and should be terminated,’ he said.
‘The lockout strategy undertaken by SAA, is commendable considering the negative impact the RA has had on the airline’s bottom line. It contributed to the lack of transformation at SAA due to the various clauses imbedded in the agreement, which have curtailed the employment and promotion of black, coloured and Indian pilots to the high management structures of the airline.’
Grant Black, Saapa’s chairperson, said that the union is surprised and dismayed with the ‘inaccurate’ statements put out by the DPE and BRP about the situation, according to the Cape Argus.
‘…Saapa has already agreed to the majority of the demands made by the company. We have agreed to cancel the RA and replace it with a new collective agreement valid for three years,’ said Black.
‘We have agreed to reduce salaries by up to 50%, which is far more than any other employee or management group at SAA.’
Black says Saapa has agreed to the vast majority of the changes proposed besides ‘the unlawful proposal on the retrenchment of pilots based on race.’
Picture: Getaway Gallery
