South African Airways (SAA) and three striking unions have agreed to mediation, the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) said on Friday afternoon.
“Both parties have agreed,” spokesperson Lusanda Myoli said.
The CCMA had approached the parties earlier to intervene, in terms of Section 150 of the Labour Relations Act, and a conciliator — Mahomed Rajah — had been placed on standby.
Details of when the mediation will begin are not yet known.
The strike, which has seen 72 domestic, regional and international flights out of 96 cancelled, revolves around SAA’s 5% pay-rise offer against the unions’ demand of 8%.
SAA said it will not talk about the negotiations but said that it has been able to fly thousands of passengers on Friday.
“Industrial action intended to ground our operations [has] not succeeded and we are continuing our concerted and dedicated efforts to get our passengers to their destinations,” a statement said.
It reiterated its earlier advice that customers postpone their travel arrangements where possible over the next few days.
“For those who have to postpone or cancel their travel, we will accommodate them on flights when normal operations resume,” Kyrl Acton, SAA chief operations officer, said. — Sapa
Passengers can phone SAA’s call centre on Tel: 011 978 2888 or
011 978 1111 for updated information