JOHANNESBURG.  14 November 2019 – South African Airways (SAA) said on Thursday a “no-work-no-pay” principle will apply to employees participating in the strike scheduled to start on Friday, 15 November and thosewho report for duty, will be allowed to work.

“Those who participate in the strike action will not be permitted back to work until the strike is over,” said Martin Kemp, Acting SAA General Manager for Human Resources. “The rest of the employees who report for duty will be allowed to work,” he continued.

SAA has cancelled all its domestic, regional and international flights scheduled for Friday, 15 November and Saturday, 16 November 2019 to minimise the impact of disruptions for its customers.

The cancellations follow an announcement by the South African Cabin Crew Association (SACCA) and the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) that their members will embark on industrial action from Friday morning.

“We are putting our customers first and regret the inevitable inconvenience that these cancellations may cause our customers,” said Kemp.

“The “no-work-no-pay” principle will apply to any employee participating in the strike action. Employees have been advised that any intimidation or assaults of other employees, damage to SAA property, or acts of misconduct will be dealt with decisively. Picketing rules will apply and these will be posted at the picketing sites,” said Kemp.

SAA attempted to dissuade the unions from embarking on industrial action by providing firm commitment dates to SAA’s offer of 5.9%. Discussions are continuing to resolve the wage dispute.

Kemp said SAA will continue to spare no effort to work with the unions to find solutions that accommodate the employee demands, safeguard the business and return operations to normal.