The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa and the South African Cabin Crew Association jointly presented a memorandum to beleaguered State-owned national flag carrier South African Airways (SAA) on Tuesday. The memorandum contained a number of demands. “Should our demands not be met, we will mobilise our members across SAA and other airlines where we are organised, including SAA subsidiaries (Air chefs, Mango, SAA Technical and suppliers within the value chain and embark on a strike which will shut down aviation as a whole,” they stated in their memorandum.
Their first demand is that the former (recently-resigned) SAA CEO Vuyani Jarana “be reinstated with immediate effect.” Furthermore, the SAA Board must give him the necessary support, cease obstructing the implementation of the turnaround strategy for the airline, and permit Jarana to execute his 2021 plan. The unions have given the Board 48 hours to reinstate Jarana.
Their second demand is that (Ms) Thandeka Mgoduso, Martin Kingston, Peter Tshisevhe and Geoff Rothschild be dismissed from the Board. The unions charge them with having permitted “massive corruption” to have occurred at the airline group and ignoring recommendations made in forensic reports by Ernst and Young and the Open Water Report. They also failed to make it clear to the staff why oversight of SAA had been transferred from the Treasury to the Department of Public Enterprises, making it difficult for the airline to access rapid funding.
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