By Akani Nkuna
FlySafair has rescheduled flight plans ahead of a strike by pilots over wages.
Trade union Solidarity announced on Wednesday that negotiations had deadlocked and its members would down tools.
FlySafair chief marketing officer Kirby Gordon said on Thursday that the airline was taking precautionary measures to minimise the damage that the rescheduling would cause, with implemented changes set to affect selected flights between 22 and 28 July.
“FlySafair will continue efforts to minimise inconvenience and maintain safe, reliable services during this period. The airline thanks customers for their patience and understanding,” said Gordon.
“We have no line of sight as to whether a strike will take place and if so, for how long and to what extent, but we have decided to act to ensure that any possible disruptions are minimised.”
The Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration will give Solidarity a strike notice. The union must give the airline 72 hour notice before embarking on the mass action.
Gordon highlighted that they respect the pilot’s decision to go on strike and appealed to pilots who would be striking to respect the decision by their colleagues to continue working.
“We deeply value our pilots and the critical role they play in delivering the FlySafair experience. We respect their right to raise concerns and remain committed to engaging in good faith to reach a constructive resolution that supports our people, our passengers, and the long-term viability of our business,” he said.
Solidarity represents two-thirds of FlySafair’s pilots. They are dissatisfied with the salary negotiations and the working conditions they are subjected to with cabin crew members at the airline.
According to Solidarity deputy general secretary Helgard Cronje there is a growing sense of neglect and burnout amongst the members, with the pilots feeling exhausted, ignored and unappreciated. This had led to a breakdown in the relationship between crew and management.
“Working conditions have deteriorated, with flights schedules leading to serious exhaustion for our members. Pilots have warned that the current situation is not sustainable,” said Cronje.
He further warned that FlySafair profit-driven approach has made the management oblivious to the challenges and the poor conditions under which the pilots were expected to work under, and that “it is precisely what led to this breach of trust”.
“Our only way out at this stage is that the next logical step is a strike. People just have so many options available to them. And this is a mutual interest dispute, as we described earlier. This means our logical next step is a strike. And that is what we plan to do – to strike,” he added.
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