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.
Engineering News reports that the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) and the SA Cabin Crew Association (Sacca) have fiercely attacked the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) and the management of SA Airways (SAA) for not paying the airline’s workers their salaries and benefits over the past four months.
In a joint statement, the unions warned that they intended to take legal action against SAA. The state-owned airline was put into business rescue last December and is now at the beginning of a relaunch process following the approval of its business rescue plan. Part of the relaunch process is the payment of voluntary severance packages (VSPs) to SAA personnel who cannot be accommodated in the downsized relaunched airline. In terms of the plan, the relaunched SAA will start with only 1,000 staff. However, although the DPE had assured the unions and workers that R2.2-billion had been budgeted to fund the VSPs, it has now informed them that this funding has, in fact, not yet been confirmed. Nevertheless, it is still urging SAA staff to sign the VSP agreements with a deadline set for 2 September. In response, Numsa and Sacca are urging their members not to sign these agreements. “We have good reason to be concerned given that SAA employees have not received any salary for the last four months …. We have demanded that SAA pay employees outstanding salaries, and they are passing the buck,” the unions indicated.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Engineering News
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page