No demos on airport grounds: ACSA

Acsa will not allow demonstrations on airport premises during a strike by Satawu members at airline SAA's technical department, it said on Monday.

 

"[We] have been advised of the strike... [and we have] assured passengers that no striking workers will be permitted to demonstrate inside its airports' premises across the country," Airports Company of SA spokeswoman Deborah Francis said.

 

SA Airways technical staffers affiliated to the SA Transport and Allied Workers' Union downed tools on Monday to demand a 12 percent wage increase.

 

Union spokesman Vincent Masoga said the strike would carry on indefinitely as the union was not prepared to accept anything less.

 

Masoga said union representatives were meeting employers to discuss SAA's 6.5 percent offer.

 

"The meeting this morning [Monday] is to discuss the 12 percent wage increase demand that we want for the cost to company packages... and to inform SAA that we will not be backing down from this demand," Masoga said.

 

He said some members were picketing at OR Tambo International Airport which would likely affect operations of domestic and international flights that are contracted with SAA's technical operations.

 

SAA spokesman Tlali Tlali said as far as he knew numerous flights had taken off and landed at the airport.

 

He declined to comment on the wage negotiations but maintained that it was a transparent process between the unions and the employer. He said SAA would make an offer that would be sustainable.

 

"We are not in the habit of conducting our wage talks through the media. But the unions have been told to [take] the company's current financial situation into account, as the international climate of airlines, at the moment, also affects us."

 

Meanwhile, Masoga said the negotiations had been taking place in a hostile environment.

 

"Management at SAA, in general, are highly unreasonable and that is why we will not back down."

 

-Sapa