Publications
Partners
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) is gearing up to meet the management of Comair on Thursday, as part of a mediation process.
Numsa, who declared last week their intention was to strike at the South African airline on Thursday, have demanded a 13th cheque for its members as well a travel allowance and a 12% increase in workers’ salaries.
In response to Numsa’s strike notice, the airline said that the strike would not be able to go ahead legally as the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) would then be unable to hear the dispute between the union and the airline until January next year.
Comair operates and manages international airline British Airways and local carrier Kulula.com in South Africa.
Last Friday, Comair said in a statement that they were working around the clock to ensure that there would be minimal disruptions to customers’ travel plans.
“We remain committed to engaging with Numsa to reach a resolution in the best interests of all our stakeholders. The CCMA has worked hard to secure a commissioner to mediate this matter and have now confirmed December 20, as opposed to January 2019, for this mediation. Comair welcomes this development,” the statement said.
National spokesperson for the union, Phakamile Hlubi-Majola said on Wednesday that the airline refusing to provide a travel allowance was a “sore point” for its members.
“This is a huge problem because we live in a country with a very unreliable transportation service. Workers’ shifts begin in the early hours of the morning and end very late at night. There is no reliable transportation, and this puts their lives at risk,” she said.
The union has also accused the airline of racism, alleging that workers of different races get paid differently.
“There is a significant gap between the salaries of white workers and African workers who do the same work,” Hlubi-Majola said.
In response to the allegations, Wrenelle Stander, executive head of Comair’s airline division, said that it was factually inaccurate to accuse Comair of being racist and that all Comair salaries are assigned based on national benchmarks.
“The salary discrepancies that Numsa refers to affect less than 2% of employees in this bargaining unit. Ten years ago salary levels were collapsed and Comair chose not to penalise the affected staff, which fall across race and gender,” Stander told City Press.
She said that Comair was guided by the Employment Equity Act and that they have engaged Numsa regarding this.
According to Comair, 375 members of its staff are affiliated to Numsa, and they have prioritised continuing operations should strike action take place.
Contingency measures which have been put in place include:
•Calling as many customers as possible 72 hours before departure to facilitate check-ins;
•Additional bag drop counters have been provided; and
•Employees from across the Comair business have volunteered to assist over this busy period.
In addition, Comair has encouraged customers to:
•Check their flight status online;
•Check in online, or at the self-service kiosks at the airports. Online check-in opens 24 hours prior to departure;
•Arrive at the airport at least 2 hours prior to departure; and
•Drop bags off at the bag drop counters
“We urge the company to engage meaningfully with our demands. Comair is successful because the working class poured its energies into it. They are directly responsible for the profits that the company has been generating. It is in all our interests to avoid a strike,” Hlubi-Majola said.
