A South African labour court has granted South African Airways (SAA) an interdict against striking workers whose action has left dozens of flights cancelled on Wednesday.
About 200 cabin crew members of the airline launched the strike on Wednesday in protest over meal allowances which they say have not been increased over several years despite ongoing negotiations.
The airline was notified of the strike action on Tuesday and decided to go to court to stop the strike action and to stop the mother labour union, the South African Cabin Crew Association (SACCA) from encouraging the strike.
SACCA pled with the Johannesburg Labour Court to give it some time to challenge the SAA interdict application. They however failed to meet the court’s deadline to file their application.
The striking workers picketed outside the SAA offices at the O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg on Wednesday.
The airline cancelled 28 domestic and 4 international flights leaving passengers stranded.
“The airline is doing everything possible to find common ground and/or a settlement on matters that are currently under discussion … Preparations are underway to support any service disruptions,” SAA said in a statement on Tuesday.
The Johannesburg Labour Court has postponed the case to June 23. Meanwhile, travellers have expressed their disappointments as flights were cancelled.
Source: africanews.com
