Employees at South African Airways, the state-owned airline, embarked on a strike on Friday. All local and regional flights were cancelled yesterday and today, as well as some international flights.
Two unions – the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) and the SAA Cabin Crew Association (SACAA) – embarked on the industrial action, after a notice to strike had been given to the airline yesterday.
The two unions said that up to 3 000 staff would be stopping work.
SAA has just over 5 000 staff. The strike is in reaction to news that the airline was planning on retrenching up to 20% of its staff, as its debt ballooned to nearly R30 billion. Strikers have rejected a wage increase of 5.9% offered by SAA, which is technically insolvent.
Warnings have come from a number of quarters, including the government, senior management at SAA, and airline analysts. They say that a strike could be the death knell for SAA, one of the oldest airlines in the world.
Privatisation is now probably the only option left for the ailing SAA, but given the ideological strait-jacket which the government wears, it is unlikely that this will occur.