By Dylan Bettencourt
- FlySafair will lock out some cabin crew from midnight after wage talks with the South African Cabin Crew Association failed on Monday night.
- The airline says flights will continue as normal, with full crews from staff who have agreed to work during the dispute.
FlySafair says it will lock out some of its cabin crew after pay talks with the South African Cabin Crew Association (Sacca) broke down on Monday night.
The airline confirmed that the lockout will start at midnight, but it promised that no flights will be cancelled.
Kirby Gordon, FlySafair’s marketing boss, said full crews are available from staff willing to work.
FlySafair’s final offer included a 5.7% salary increase, a new 7.5% annual bonus, better pay progression and extra allowances. But Sacca rejected the offer.
Gordon said the dispute is about compensation and staff feeling heard, not about legal matters.
Sacca’s deputy president, Christopher Shabangu, said the real issue is how the airline pays crew who work through their lunch breaks. He said he remains hopeful they can still reach an agreement.
The union also raised concerns about how parts of the Labour Relations Act are applied. FlySafair said it has agreed to take those issues to the Department of Labour, but insisted they are not the cause of the current strike.
The airline, which carries about 30,000 passengers a day and controls 60% of South Africa’s domestic air market, has asked the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) to step in.
In August, FlySafair reached a deal with its pilots after a 12-day strike over pay and schedules.
Pictured above: FlySafair planes at OR Tambo International Airport. The airline says flights will continue despite the lockout.
Image source: File
