Workers from other companies in the aviation sector joined the strike at Airports Company South Africa airports on Friday as the SA Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) sticks to its guns.
Satawu spokesperson Evan Abrahamse said employees from South African Airways, SAA Technical, SA Express and Equity Aviation had joined the pickets at most of the major airports in South Africa — Johannesburg International, Durban, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and East London.
He said Satawu was still assessing the impact of this secondary strike.
The union, after consulting with workers, decided on Wednesday not to accept a revised wage increase of eight percent from Acsa.
On Thursday they informed Acsa that they were planning to seek support from other companies in the sector. Despite objections from these companies their decision was protected by the Johannesburg labour court.
The union is still demanding a 10% increase and a minimum salary of R3 300. Acsa initially offered a 7,5% increase and a minimum salary of R3 225 per month.
Wage negotiations have been deadlocked since early October after mediation failed. Acsa employees have been on strike since Monday last week.
Acsa spokesperson Solomon Makgale said that management was saddened by Satawu’s decision not to accept both the original and revised offers.
He said the continuation of the strike was of no benefit to anyone at Acsa.
He said that management was committed to resolving the impasse, but that ”there are no planned meetings at this point in time”. – Sapa