Business Report writes that Comair, which suspended its flights last week, would most likely not be able to pay its workers’ salaries for June as pressure mounts for the airline to find an investor in the next few weeks or go belly-up.

This was told to organised labour on Monday by Business Rescue Practitioner (BRP) Richard Ferguson. The airline's management along with the BRP told the unions – including the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa), Solidarity and the Pilots Association of SA – that it could not divulge the amount necessary to keep Comair afloat under non-disclosure agreements, but that it was urgent that the airline got an investor. Numsa spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola said: “They (Comair) have weeks to find an investor or be wound down. We are concerned about the jobs. We do not want the airline liquidated, but it is frustrating how they shut it down without letting labour know. The BRP told us that there is no money, that there was no certainty that salaries for June will be paid or guarantee medical aid will be paid.” Hlubi-Majola said Numsa had offered to facilitate that the airline’s workers be registered with the Department of Labour for training lay-off schemes while the Comair options were being considered so they would not be left in the cold. She added that the unions had offered to help the airline identify a potential investor, as happened with SA Express when it was in a similar predicament. Numsa does not want the current executive led by Glen Orsmond to be involved.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Banele Ginindza at Business Report

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