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South Africa: National carrier workers strike for higher pay
Hundreds of aircraft maintenance technicians with South Africa’s national airline downed tools on Monday in the round of industrial action to hit the country, a union official said.
“Our members are striking for a double-digit salary increase of 12 percent,” Vincent Masoga, spokesman for the South African Transport and Allied Union (SATAWU) told reporters.
“There are pickets going on near the airport right now,” said Masoga.
There was no immediate comment from South African Airways.
Around 1,300 technicians who repair and service aircraft at the South African Airways and are also used by other domestic and international carriers, including British Airways and Qantas, were involved in the industrial action.
The Airports Company of South Africa (ACSA) which handles some 650 departing flights, said it was taking measures to minimize any disruptions.
ACSA is “monitoring the situation closely across its network of nine airports and will utilize its resources to provide support to the airlines in order to minimize any potential operational disruptions,” it said in a statement.
