The United Association of South Africa (Uasa) and management of South African Airways (SAA) will meet on Thursday afternoon for informal discussions regarding pay negotiations.
”An informal meeting has been planned for 2pm after SAA approached us. We have indicated that depending on the outcome of the meeting, we will decide whether to go ahead with the strike or not,” Maryna Kleynhans, an official of the Aviation Working Unit — part of Uasa — said on Thursday.
SAA spokesperson Onkgopotse Tabane confirmed on Thursday that management will meet the union.
”There will be a meeting, but it’s not formal negotiations,” he said. ”We will know after the meeting when the next formal negotiations will be held, if at all.”
SAA said on Wednesday that the South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu) would also participate in the strike.
Satawu has planned a media briefing for Thursday.
Uasa, the largest representative union of ground staff and cabin crew at SAA, called off Wednesday’s nationwide grasshopper strike after SAA management agreed to meet the union.
The union decided to embark on industrial action after a deadlock in pay negotiations. Uasa is demanding an 8% increase and SAA is offering 5%.
Earlier on Thursday, Uasa spokesperson Gerhard Ueckermann said: ”Management [of SAA] approached the union yesterday [Wednesday] for more talks. We undertook to withhold strike action for further talks.”
Ueckermann denied media reports that the strike was ”a mere threat to force SAA into negotiations”.
”The strike was not a threat. We did give notice of strike action and were supposed to strike after 4pm yesterday [Wednesday], but management approached us for talks so the strike was put on hold.
”However, if discussions today [Thursday] are not successful or to our liking, we will consider strike action. We are very serious about this.”
Tabane said business was expected to go on as usual at SAA on Thursday.
The South African Airways Pilots’ Association (Saapa) said on Thursday it remains supportive of the impending strike by the other SAA unions.
”The overwhelming unity between the various unions is unprecedented. The glaring question that needs to be asked is why so many of the employees at SAA are united in their disapproval of management and its lack of integrity in dealing with labour,” said Saapa chairperson Captain Piet Taljaard.
He said Saapa is in a similar position to the other unions and will shortly be balloting its members on the issue of industrial action.
The pilots said they will also threaten to strike if SAA goes ahead with its plans to change their employment contracts without consulting them. — Sapa