This news aggregator site highlights South African labour news from a wide range of internet and print sources. Each posting has a synopsis of the source article, together with a link or reference to the original. Postings cover the range of labour related matters from industrial relations to generalist human resources.Press Statement dated 24 January 2015
A strike certificate has been issued to trade union Solidarity after salary negotiations with Comair, of which Kulula and British Air are affiliates, finally foundered. The trade union wants to avoid a strike.
Johan Botha, Head of Solidarity’s professional industry, says the dispute has been declared because the salaries of cabin crew have been calculated on their basic salary only and not on employees’ total cost package since 2011. Cabin crew’s basic salary only constitutes 53% of their total cost package. In 2012, a three-year salary agreement was signed by the parties in terms of which cabin crew would not receive any increase in 2012; an increase of 7,7% on their basic salary in 2012; and an increase of 6,8% in 2014.
“The 2012 agreement was reached at a time when Comair was battling financially. Our members, however, agreed to accept low increases to accommodate their employer. During the same period though, top management nevertheless received increases of 12,4% on their total cost package,” Botha says.
Botha says Comair’s financial position has meanwhile strengthened and the company is now in a position to reward employees for their loyalty by granting them a favourable increase. “We believe our members are now entitled to a firm increase to enable them to catch up with the backlog built up over the past three years. By our calculations, our members should receive an increase of at least 12,3% on their total cost package to compensate for the backlog,” Botha says.
In terms of the employer’s latest salary offer, employees would either receive an increase of 7,5% on their total cost package, or an increase of 8% on condition that overtime would only be calculated after 125 hours per month. “This would mean that employees would have to fund their own increase by forfeiting on overtime pay,” Botha says.
Since September 2014, Solidarity has been trying to negotiate this issue with Comair but without success. Consequently, the trade union in December referred a dispute to the CCMA. The CCMA compelled Comair to continue negotiations with Solidarity and as a result, the parties resumed negotiations during a conciliation process at the CCMA on 22 January 2015.
Solidarity is party to a co-operation agreement with Comair in terms of which negotiations on behalf of members would be undertaken collectively. Solidarity is the majority trade union and represents 210 members of the cabin crew of 389 employees.
Johan Botha, Head of industry: Solidarity
Inge Strydom, Spokesperson: Solidarity