A strike by about 300 staff and cabin crew at Nationwide airline was set to start at 5pm on Friday, trade union Solidarity and the airline said.
”At this stage we’re assuming that it will go ahead. There shouldn’t be any disruption at all. Unlike the SAA strike we’re able to do things differently,” said Nationwide’s financial director, Peter Griffiths, adding that passengers could be
accommodated on other flights.
He said the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) had been approached to resolve the dispute, scheduled to end at 5pm on Sunday.
”I was told that the CCMA could only meet with us on Monday, but that just doesn’t make sense, to go through the strike and then mediate.”
Griffiths said that of the more than 1 000 staff at the airline, around 250 were Solidarity members.
It had 17 aircraft on domestic flights and one long-haul aircraft.
Solidarity spokesperson Jaco Kleynhans said the strike would ”definitely” go ahead and affect the ”vast majority” of domestic flights as its members made up 90% of cabin crew.
He put the number of union members at Nationwide at 320.
Kleynhans said cabin crew received starting salaries of R2 900 a month.
”We are absolutely willing to negotiate. We’ve asked the CCMA to mediate, but haven’t received an answer.”
The union was demanding a five percent salary increase plus another three percent increase in pension fund contributions.
Nationwide is offering a four percent salary increase.
Another motivation for CCMA intervention was Nationwide’s refusal to disclose its financial results.
”If Nationwide’s statements show that the company cannot afford our eight percent demand, we would be quite prepared to reconsider the demand,” Kleynhans said.
Griffiths said the company had told Solidarity it was welcome to see its accounts — after signing a non-disclosure agreement — but that the trade union had never taken it up on its offer. Solidarity later demanded to see the books for every company in the group.
”It’s nonsense to ask for books not related to the airline,” said Griffiths.
Passengers who need to confirm their bookings should call the Nationwide Airlines customer care centre on 0861 737 737. – Sapa