The South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu) has accused a division of South African Airways of racism and non-compliance with employment-equity laws.
”SAA Technical remains lily white at the top and pitch black at the bottom,” Satawu spokesperson Ronnie Mamba said on Thursday.
Mamba said over 95% of top-level management was currently white.
”After 12 years of democracy, the SAA Technical department has vehemently refused to transform … refusing to adequately train black workers to let them move higher or to acknowledge government’s Employment Equity Act.”
A breakdown of employee quotas as provided by Satawu showed that:
At executive level, nine white, two Indian and one black people were employed.
At senior management level, 32 white, two Indian and three black people were employed.
At junior management level, 47 white, three Indian and five black people were employed.
At technical supervisory level, 165 white, four Indian, two black and four coloured people were employed. This was the highest level of employment for coloured people in the company.
At senior-technician level, 320 white, 16 Indian, nine coloured and six black people were employed.
Mamba said nearly all team leaders in the division were white males.
Incidents Mamba cited that ”bordered on blatant racism” included a white employee who told a black employee that ”all my efforts to turn you into a white man have failed. You remain a Kaffir”.
Mamba said the white employee was still employed by SAA Technical.
Further, accounts of racism include a white technician who assaulted a black technician and was then promoted.
”We will no longer tolerate white domination in SAA Technical or any other division or subsidiary of SAA.”
He added that Satawu is not recognised as a union at the division in spite of having 500 workers from the division signed as members.
He said black workers who worked as craftsmen for 10 years had no training while their white counterparts progressed to senior positions through training programmes.
”If the division does not improve its record on race relations and transformation, an indefinite strike action — should negotiations not produce concrete results — will proceed.”
Mamba said the deadline for negotiations to conclude was one month.
”Satawu is of the view that aviation is a very a strategic component of our national economy. It [the company] therefore has a responsibility to be in the forefront of government’s transformation programmes.”
SAA was not immediately able to comment. — Sapa