EDITORIAL: Union madness sends SAA into nosedive
Saving the airline will require all parties to sit down, put aside the posturing, and focus on the sustainability of the business
Unions at SAA are fighting a losing battle, and it is critical that they step back from their hardline stance if they are to spare workers the pain of a protracted strike that could permanently ground the airline. While there has not been much in the way of public sympathy for the unions, it is unfortunate that ordinary workers are now peering down the barrel due to the disastrous management of the airline over the past decade, and the political stance of some union bosses.Workers represented by the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) and the SA Cabin Crew Association downed tools on Friday, demanding an 8% wage increase; SAA offered 5.9%. Unions also opposed plans for the 940-odd retrenchments that management strangely announced in the midst of the wage dispute.There’s no doubt the airline has to restructure to address its financial woes. To put it bluntly, senior government officials say SAA is already trading recklessly. It has incurred R28bn in cumulative losses in the ...
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