South African Trade Union Solidarity has confirmed to Inside Travel that it has issued a strike notice to Mango Airlines on behalf of its flight crew for this coming Monday commencing at 05h00.
In a statement released by Solidarity, it said that this is the latest development after the airline had declared a dispute with the trade union after the fourth round of negotiations in August this year, indicating that negotiations had deadlocked.
According to Solidarity’s Deputy General Secretary Deon Reyneke, the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) issued a certificate granting Solidarity the right to strike after the two parties could not reach a settlement due to Mango management’s unwillingness to negotiate further.
Solidarity was prepared to engage in further negotiation with the company throughout the process. “Notwithstanding the fact that Solidarity is ready to engage in further talks with the airline, it would appear from the company’s actions that the airline is not ready to engage in a constructive negotiating process with its highly qualified pilots,” Reyneke said.
Reyneke added that the airline’s pilots are dedicated to their jobs. “Solidarity also indicated to Mango that it was prepared to engage in talks with the airline at any given time over the weekend.”
In a statement issued by Mango, the airline said it has reviewed and updated its contingency measures to ensure business continuity, and to minimise the impact of strike action on its operations. The airline will issue a follow-up communication on Monday, 16 October 2017, advising its customers on whether the strike is going ahead or to advise the extent to which the strike has affected its operations, if at all.
In the event the strike goes ahead, Mango will provide assistance to Guests who require support. Information on the status of our flights will be placed on all official channels of communication, including social media and this information will be updated on a continuous basis.
Management at Mango will spare no effort to work jointly with Solidarity in an attempt to find solutions for the employee demands to avert possible industrial action, but in doing so,safeguarding the business remains its utmost priority