/ 12 September 2007

SAA restructuring talks stall

A meeting between the South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu) and South African (SAA) Airways over retrenchments has failed to reach a resolution, the union said on Wednesday.

National aviation coordinator Kenneth Monanna said the two parties met on Tuesday under the supervision of a Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) facilitator, following notices issued by the airline of retrenchments.

He said the meeting failed to make any substantial progress because management had not made all the information available.

Another meeting would be held on Friday.

The meeting would seek a possible extension through the CCMA to ensure that meaningful consultation was arrived at on the structure of the departments concerned, the number of employees affected per department, the selection criteria, employment equity considerations and future re-employment arrangements, Monanna said.

The union questioned management’s intention to make public announcements on a new section 189 notice intended to ”forcefully retrench 2 232 employees tabled in the meeting without any consultation as to how they arrived at such a high figure, among others”. — Sapa