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SAFRICA-AVIATION-STRIKE
S.Africa unions threaten to ‘shut down’ aviation sector
JOHANNESBURG, Nov 17, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – South African unions on Sunday
called on all aviation workers to join striking South African Airways (SAA)
staff after the cash-strapped airline failed to meet their demands.
The country’s embattled flag carrier has been losing 52 million rand ($3.5
million) per day since more than 3,000 workers started an open-ended strike
on Friday — forcing the airline to cancel hundreds of flights.
Talks with unions ended without resolution on Saturday, prompting threats
of further action.
“In response to this deliberate provocation by the SAA board and its
executive management, (the) NUMSA (metalworkers’ union) is in the process of
consulting workers for a secondary strike in aviation,” NUMSA spokeswoman
Phakamile Hlubi-Majola told reporters in front of the SAA headquarters in
Johannesburg.
Unions first threatened to strike after SAA announced this week that
almost 1,000 employees could lose their jobs as part of a restructuring
process.
Talks with management deadlocked after they failed to agree on wage hikes,
prompting unions to press on with their threats.
SAA is offering a 5.9 percent pay rise, while unions are demanding an
eight percent across-the-board hike and a three-year guarantee of job
security.
“We are fighting against retrenchment, corruption and privatisation,” said
Hlubi-Majola, speaking at a media briefing broadcast on local television.
She told journalists discussions with SAA subsidiaries, South Africa’s
airport management company and airline service providers were underway.
“The secondary strike will have the impact of shutting down the entire
aviation sector,” said Hlubi-Majola.
SAA did not immediately respond to AFP’s requests for comment.
The company — one of the biggest airlines in Africa — is deep in debt
and has not posted a profit since 2011, despite several government bailouts.
BSS/AFP/SSS/1935 hrs