The South African Cabin Crew Association is due in the Labour Court in Johannesburg on Wednesday while the majority of its members picket outside the offices of South African Airways over meal allowances.
Christopher Shabangu‚ the deputy president of SACCA‚ said workers want the airline to address international food allowances‚ which the airline has not adjusted for cabin crew for six years. Pilots‚ however‚ had received adjustments to their international meal allowances every year‚ he said.
Shabangu was speaking outside Airways Park‚ the offices of the airline‚ while members of SACCA danced and sang along to songs such as Kwesta and Cassper Nyovest’s Ngud and Mandoza’s Nkalakatha.
Members of SACCA carried placards with messages such as “Leave the chicken‚ this is serious beef” and “Crew has been on junk status for too long“.
Shabangu said the association‚ which represents about 85% of cabin crew members‚ had been “very reasonable” in their demands.
“We’re trying to negotiate. We’ve given them a figure‚ but they’re not willing to talk. We’ve been very reasonable in our approach‚” he said before leaving to join SACCA’s lawyers at the Labour Court.
Despite the international meal allowance being 131 USD‚ and the demand being 170 USD‚ Shabangu said it wasn’t that much overseas.
“A lot of our members have to use their meagre salaries to supplement the meal allowances‚” he said.
Earlier‚ Shabangu told TimesLive that: “We now have a situation where the crew can’t handle this. The neglect has been going on for many years.”
Shabangu said he had been informed that 10 flights had already been cancelled. SAA spokesman Tlali Tlali said earlier on Wednesday that four SAA flights had to be cancelled and others had been delayed by the strike‚ affecting routes between Johannesburg and Cape Town‚ Port Elizabeth and East London. However‚ he said that the airline was making alternative arrangements such as organising larger planes to accommodate passengers and negotiating with other airlines to accommodate their passengers.
SACCA Secretary General Mpho Moikangoa said they wanted to be treated “with dignity“.
“All that we say is... give us the money. We love the dollar. Our stomachs are the same (as the pilots’)‚” he said.
'Give us the money. We love the dollar' - SAA cabin crew say as strike bites
Christopher Shabangu‚ the deputy president of SACCA‚ said workers want the airline to address international food allowances‚ which the airline has not adjusted for cabin crew for six years. Pilots‚ however‚ had received adjustments to their international meal allowances every year‚ he said.
Shabangu was speaking outside Airways Park‚ the offices of the airline‚ while members of SACCA danced and sang along to songs such as Kwesta and Cassper Nyovest’s Ngud and Mandoza’s Nkalakatha.
Members of SACCA carried placards with messages such as “Leave the chicken‚ this is serious beef” and “Crew has been on junk status for too long“.
Shabangu said the association‚ which represents about 85% of cabin crew members‚ had been “very reasonable” in their demands.
“We’re trying to negotiate. We’ve given them a figure‚ but they’re not willing to talk. We’ve been very reasonable in our approach‚” he said before leaving to join SACCA’s lawyers at the Labour Court.
Despite the international meal allowance being 131 USD‚ and the demand being 170 USD‚ Shabangu said it wasn’t that much overseas.
“A lot of our members have to use their meagre salaries to supplement the meal allowances‚” he said.
Earlier‚ Shabangu told TimesLive that: “We now have a situation where the crew can’t handle this. The neglect has been going on for many years.”
Shabangu said he had been informed that 10 flights had already been cancelled. SAA spokesman Tlali Tlali said earlier on Wednesday that four SAA flights had to be cancelled and others had been delayed by the strike‚ affecting routes between Johannesburg and Cape Town‚ Port Elizabeth and East London. However‚ he said that the airline was making alternative arrangements such as organising larger planes to accommodate passengers and negotiating with other airlines to accommodate their passengers.
SACCA Secretary General Mpho Moikangoa said they wanted to be treated “with dignity“.
“All that we say is... give us the money. We love the dollar. Our stomachs are the same (as the pilots’)‚” he said.
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