Unions confirm ‘mother of all strikes’ set to start on Friday

This after the two unions could not reach an agreement with the cash-strapped national carrier.

The unions and SAA management met on Thursday afternoon for last-minute wage talks but to no avail.

Some 3 000 workers will take part in the industrial action, leading to the airline cancelling all flights on Friday and Saturday.

Numsa and Sacca held a press briefing at the SAA Airways Park on Thursday afternoon confirming that the two parties could not reach an agreement.

Numsa spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola said they are demanding 8% wage increase across the board.

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"We are demanding the in-sourcing of all services which are outsourced and which SAA has the capacity to fulfil for example security, cleaning, IT and logistics.

"We reject the offer by SAA management of the creation of a task team to deal with insourcing and the terms of reference. We do not have the luxury of time and this needs urgent action. These inflated contracts are crippling the South Airways finances".

Hlubi Majola said the strike will be indefinite.

"The strike is an indefinite strike until the management gives in to our demands... until our members say enough. It will start at 4 am and the member of the 4 am shift will not rock up".

She added the demands include the restructuring of the SAA board.

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"We don't want to be back here four years from now. You mustn't forget that 2015 we were told that SAA is in crisis, a thousand workers must be retrenched. They retrenched those thousand workers, they did nothing about the procurement spend which is actually the thing that is responsible for the crisis in SAA.

"Our demands are speaking directly to the problems affecting SAA and if the management of the airline is genuine about dealing with this financial crisis then it will accept what we're putting on the table."