Fin24 reports that the Labour Court on Monday dismissed an application by the SAA Pilots' Association (Saapa) that sought to prevent the state-owned airline from using so-called 'scab labour'.

At issue were vital training functions needed for the airline to kick off operations again. The union's members have been locked out since 18 December and later went on strike to prevent scab labour – that is, workers hired to fill in for the absent union members – from being used by the airline. In April this year, Saapa approached the Labour Court with a similar aim, but the matter was postponed until 15 June. At the time, SAA denied it intended to use scab labour or that Saapa members faced imminent harm. On Monday, Judge Edwin Tlhotlhalemaje ruled that there was no need for the application for interim relief some 17 days before the main application was to be heard on 15 June, when the parties could "fully ventilate" the issues raised. He added that SAA "clearly has a right" to prepare to kick off operations from 1 July, and it would suffer greater harm if relief were granted to the pilots. He also noted that the airline intended, for training purposes, to replace four pilots who were not affected by the lock-out – three whose lock-out conditions had been lifted, and one who had never been locked out. In its application for interim relief, Saapa, which represents nearly 90% of the pilots at SAA, had argued that the hiring of the replacement labour was not allowed in terms of a long-standing Regulating Agreement between the airline and Saapa. The association indicated on Monday that it would be launching an application for leave to appeal against the latest judgment.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Carin Smith at Fin24

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