SAA pilots planning to strike amid wage disputes

SAA pilots have reportedly announced their intent to strike tomorrow, 5 December, due to wage increase requests not being met.

SAA pilots could be going on strike tomorrow. Image: Craig S Martin / flickr / canva

SAA pilots to possibly strike

South African Airways (SAA) has reportedly received a notification from the SAA Pilots Association (SAAPA) conveying their plans to go on a strike tomorrow, 5 December 2024.

According to a press release, the airline said that management was doing everything possible to avoid a strike by its pilots or any disruptions to operations, especially now during the December peak season.

Wage disputes

The airline revealed that SAAPA’s initial wage increase demand, tabled in May 2024, was for a 30% increase in pilot salaries. This was then reduced to 15.7% (plus associated benefits), with South African Airways then offering an increase of 8.46% (backdated to 1 April 2024).

SAA’s final wage offer, made to SAAPA on 24 September, is significantly higher than the general salary increases in South Africa in 2024.

“Not in the financial position”

SAA just recently reported its first net profit since 2012, marking a significant milestone in the airline’s road to recovery.

After a challenging period for more than a decade, the airline reported steady financial results for the 2022/23 financial year, with a net profit of R252 million and total revenue surging by 183% from R2.0 billion in the previous year to R5.7 billion now.

Despite this, Interim Chief Executive Officer Professor John Lamola said that while the airline did report a modest profit, SAA may not by any means claim to be in a financially robust position.

“Ironically, the pilots have chosen to go on strike exactly on the fifth anniversary of the day SAA was placed in Business Rescue in 2019. SAA cannot return to the lucrative benefits that SAA pilots have historically enjoyed. Acceding to SAAPA current demand for a 15.7% wage increase will trigger SAA’s decline into bankruptcy”, Lamola said.

“SAA has only recently regained its operational viability after emerging from business rescue in 2021. In order not to disrupt this momentum, we are committed to ongoing negotiations with SAAPA and to do everything possible to reach a fair settlement that is mutually beneficial to both the pilots and the company”. he added.

Professor Lamola finished by saying that the airline would be implementing contingency measures to ensure that disruption to its services due to the strike would be as minimal as possible.