BL Premium reports that the management of SAA and the two pilots’ unions threatening to go on strike from Thursday were in “active negotiations” on Wednesday with no indication of whether passengers would find themselves stranded within less than 24 hours.

“We aim to avoid any disruptions to our services and will keep the public updated on any developments,” SAA spokesperson Vimla Maistry said. A strike will come just after schools officially close countrywide on Wednesday, with large numbers of South Africans having booked flights for the December holidays. SAA’s pilots are represented by two unions, namely the SAA Pilots Association (SAAPA) and the National Transport Movement, with SAAPA leading the negotiation process. The pilots initially wanted a 30% salary increase, which they have since reduced to 15.7% (plus associated benefits). SAA has offered increases of 8.46% backdated to April 2024. According to sources, the pilots from both unions held a strike ballot which indicated that almost 94% of them were in favour of strike action. SAA said in a statement on Wednesday that its final wage offer made in September 2024 was significantly higher than salaries in SA. According to SAA, the offer was also benchmarked against international pilot salary adjustments. However, according to aviation experts, SAA pilot salaries compare poorly with bigger airlines.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Erika Gibson at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)

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