South African Airways strike officially suspended, pilots and airline agree to 9.47% pay rise

• South African Airways (SAA) flights to resume as two-day strike officially suspended
• Pilots went on strike on Thursday, December 5 to demand a 15.7 percent pay rise from SAA.
• The strike affected domestic and international operations and forced SAA to cancel 60% of its flights.

The South African Airways (SAA) pilots’ strike is finally over and flights will return to the skies.

SAA confirmed that an agreement was reached at 2am on December 7, ending the strike.

The pilots went on strike on December 5 after a dispute over wage increases.

SAA reaches agreement with pilots

After successful negotiations, SAA announced that it had reached a settlement with the South African Airways Pilots Association (SAAPA).

Pilots demanded a 15.7 percent pay rise, while SAA only offered an 8 percent increase.

SAA management then proposed an additional 1% salary increase, bringing the total to 9.47%.

The pilots accepted the offer, with acting chief executive Professor John Lamola saying other factors had also been agreed in the deal.

“As part of this agreement, commitments on a business improvement program will continue over the next eight weeks.

“We are committed to implementing work-life concessions that should improve the productivity of our world-class pilots,” he said.

Pilots return to work

The national airline has confirmed that it plans to return to a 100% flight schedule by Sunday, December 8, with more than 100 pilots returning to work. The strike forced the airline to cancel 60% of its flights, leaving many passengers stranded.

Vimla Maistry, head of corporate affairs at SAA Group, confirmed that the strike was affecting domestic and international flights.

Although the news came as a relief to many, passengers remain stranded at airports waiting for SAA to resume normal operations. Customers are also advised to visit the SAA website at www.flysaa.com for updates on SAA flight schedules.

SAA reports net profits

In a related article, SAA reported a net profit since resuming after a 12-year absence.

SAA was forced to close its doors following allegations of corruption and financial mismanagement.

In brief News reported that South Africans had mixed feelings, with some celebrating the return.

Source: In Brief News