The Airports Company of South Africa (Acsa) on Wednesday said the South African Police Service on Wednesday morning arrested 36 striking members of the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) at Cape Town International airport.
Acsa communications manager Solomon Makgale said since Monday, Satawu members have been demonstrating at Cape Town International, in direct contravention of the National Keys Point (NKP) Act No 102 of 1980 as amended.
The Satawu strike, which is in its third day, is the first strike action at the company in five years, with more than 1 000 workers expected to take part in the strike at all major airports across the country falling under Acsa’s authority.
According to Satawu the sole area of dispute was the basic wage increase.
Satawu is demanding an across-the-board wage increase of 10% on the basic pensionable salary while Acsa management is offering 7,5%.
The union is therefore demanding R3 300 per month for all newly appointed employees, while management’s offer is R3 225.
Makgale said Satawu members were warned by the SAPS repeatedly not to demonstrate outside the designated area agreed on and not to engage in unlawful conduct.
“This area is the island between the approach road traffic lights and the public parking. In deciding on suitable picketing areas, cognisance was given to the stringent legislative requirements, particularly the NKP Act,” he said.
The Act is applicable to the Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban international airports and essentially makes provision for possible intervention in the running of the airport by a statutory body, the NKP protecting unit.
According to Acsa, in terms of section 10 (1) and (2a and 2b) of the NKP Act, conduct prejudicially affecting the security of an NKP shall include any act committed by any person which otherwise, whether it is an offence in terms of the law, or is committed culpably, or not, causes loss, damage, disruption or immobilisation of an NKP and thereby prejudicially affecting the security of the NKP, or which is likely to bring about such effect. — I-Net Bridge