Maroela Media reports that Solidarity has welcomed the decision by FlySafair to participate in the mediation process as requested by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) in terms of section 150 of the Labour Relations Act.

According to the trade union, while FlySafair had had the opportunity to defuse the labour dispute between the parties over the past weekend and spare thousands of passengers the frustration of a strike, only on Monday, after widespread publicity and frustration, did the airline reluctantly agreed to the CCMA process. Industrial action by pilots who are Solidarity members commenced on Monday and disruptions could continue for up to two weeks. According to Helgard Cronjé, deputy general secretary of public industry at Solidarity, there are still doubts as to whether FlySafair was approaching the situation with the necessary urgency because the airline was only willing to start the CCMA process by Wednesday. “As a result, thousands more passengers will be affected before FlySafair comes to the table,” Cronjé pointed out. Solidarity expressed the hope that FlySafair’s agreement to the mediation process would mark the beginning of real solutions that “address the concerns of their pilots with genuine seriousness and that could pave the way for improved working relations in the future.”

• Read the full original of the Afrikaans report in the above regard at Maroela Media
• Read too, FlySafair and pilots to resume wage talks at CCMA, at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)

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