Trade union Solidarity said on Thursday that it had lodged a legal process against Nationwide Airlines by declaring a dispute with the airline at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA).
The trade union said in a statement that the airline had been charged with unfair discrimination and victimisation of its members.
This comes after Solidarity said that it had obtained clear evidence of discrimination against its members following the recent strike at Nationwide.
If the process at the CCMA was not successful, Solidarity would take the case to the Labour Court, the statement added.
According to Solidarity spokesperson Jaco Kleynhans, Nationwide paid bonuses of R400 to employees who had not taken part in the strike.
“Furthermore, information that we received indicate that the company transferred Solidarity members who had gone out on strike and who had previously worked on London flights to its domestic flights. These crew members are no longer allowed to work on the London flights.
“It is clear to us that employees had been bribed with R400 bonuses not to take part in the strike. The staff members who did take part have not received the bonus and the employer is discriminating against those who had flown overseas by transferring them to domestic flights,” Kleynhans said.
“This essentially means that an employer is rewarding employees who had not taken part in a strike. Those who had taken part are being directly or indirectly punished or disadvantaged. Solidarity has already obtained legal advice on the issue and it is clear to the trade union that Nationwide’s actions are in violation of South African labour legislation,” Kleynhans added.
Kleynhans stated that the trade union would take the matter to the Labour Court if this was deemed necessary.
“It is unacceptable for a company to discriminate against staff members who had taken part in a legal strike on the grounds that they had gone on strike. We shall do everything in our power to protect our members against discrimination of this nature.” ‒ I-Net Bridge