By MKHOKHELI ZIBENGWA
The pilots' strike at South African Airways (SAA) has been officially called off following the successful conclusion of wage negotiations.
The strike, which began on 5 December 2024, was suspended after an agreement was reached between SAA Executive Management and the South African Airways Pilots Association (SAAPA).
Under the new agreement, SAA has offered an additional 1% salary increase, bringing the total salary increase for pilots to 9.47%. This offer helped break the deadlock in the wage negotiations, leading to the end of the industrial action.
Professor Lamola, representing SAA's Executive Management, said, "As part of the agreement that resolved the wage dispute, we will continue discussions on a continuous enterprise improvement program over the next eight weeks. We are committed to implementing work-life concessions that will further enhance the productivity of our world-class pilots."
With the strike now suspended, SAA expects to return to a full flight schedule by Sunday, 8 December 2024, with over 100 pilots resuming duties by 12:00 today, 7 December 2024.
SAA extends its sincere thanks to customers for their patience and understanding throughout the disruption. Passengers are advised to visit the SAA website www.flysaa.com and follow the airline’s social media channels for the latest updates on flight schedules.
