South African Airways (SAA) has reportedly canceled almost all flights scheduled for Friday and Saturday due to a strike over wage increases planned by a majority of employees, reported Reuters.
About 3,000 of the airline’s 5,000-strong workforce on Wednesday said that the cabin crew and other workers would strike over the airline’s refusal of salary hikes and a plan to cut more than 900 jobs. The airline recently announced plans to retrench up to a fifth of its workers as it battles massive losses.
According to a report from television news channel eNCA, only flights directly operated by SAA would be affected. Flights by subsidiaries Mango, SA Express and SA Air Link, and those of private operators would not be affected.
As per the statement issued by the airline, the only flights which would still operate on Friday and Saturday would be those returning from international destinations to South Africa. All other SAA flights would be grounded until Sunday.
“Customers are requested not to travel to their departure airport unless in possession of a rebooked itinerary,” the airline said in a statement.
The Unions confirmed that the strike will begin at 4 a.m. (0200 GMT) on Friday. They have appealed SAA’s check-in, ticket sales, head office, technical staff and ground staff to take part in the strike.
SAA flies around 6.8 million passengers annually to six continents with dedicated routes to New York, London, and Hong Kong among its eight international offerings. The state-owned airline, which is without a permanent chief executive, has not made an annual profit since 2011. It is yet to file results for the two most recent financial years because of concerns about its viability as a business.
The airline has struggled in recent years and has been relying on state bailouts to fund a growing financing gap.
