SAA has raised its wage offer to employees, which unions say they are considering and will decide on on Thursday.
A meeting between management and trade unions is scheduled for Thursday afternoon. If the new offer is accepted the strike — which could cause SAA irreversible damage — will be averted.
Two of the unions — the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) and the SA Cabin Crew Association (Sacca) — have given notice that they will begin a strike on Friday at 4am.
Mashudu Raphepha, the president of NLM which is the third recognised union at the company, said on Thursday that SAA’s new offer was for a 5.9% increase. The only proviso attached to the offer is that backpay — the agreement would be backdated to April 1 — is paid in the new financial year. Raphepha said that members were keen to engage with management over the new offer.
SAA’s previous offer to the three unions was for a 5.9% increase, but this was conditional on its ability to raise funding. That condition has now been withdrawn said Raphepha.
Numsa spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola said that SAA had made a new offer on Wednesday night, which was being considered.
“We are meeting this afternoon when we tell them what members think of the new offer,” she said.
SAA has not yet confirmed the offer.
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