BL Premium reports that the General Industrial Workers Union of SA (Giwusa) has called for the strike-breaking “emergency agreement” between state-owned airline SAA and local and regional carrier FlySafair cancelled and its details made public.

That demand came as FlySafair pilots continued their strike for above-inflation wage increases. According to FlySafair’s Kirby Gordon, two of the “approximately 120 daily flights operated by the airline will be conducted under a passenger protection agreement with SAA”. However, Giwusa president Mametlwe Sebei condemned the deployment of SAA resources to “undermine” the wage strike by FlySafair pilots. “SAA’s operation of FlySafair routes and accommodation of its passengers constitutes state-subsidised scabbing and another fundamental betrayal of the working class by the ANC. This intervention, cynically framed as an ‘emergency agreement’, is a blatant attempt to break the legitimate industrial action by more than 200 pilots organised by Solidarity and sets a dangerous precedent organised labour should not ignore or underestimate,” Sebei said. He called on SAA to cease all operations supporting FlySafair immediately, saying public assets could not be tools for breaking “legal strikes”, and the terms of the “emergency agreement” must be made public. The disputing parties were set to meet for a mediation process under the auspices of the CCMA on Wednesday afternoon in an effort to break the wage deadlock.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
• Lees ook, Giwusa gee steun aan stakende FlySafair-vlieëniers, by Maroela Media

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