A two-week strike by pilots at FlySafair ended on Friday after the airline and union Solidarity reached agreement on wage increases and better working conditions.
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A two-week strike by pilots at FlySafair ended on Friday after the airline and union Solidarity reached agreement on wage increases and better working conditions.
More than 90% of the airline’s pilots had gone on strike demanding a 10.5% increase on base salaries, as well as additional flight pay and bonuses. The airline initially said it could only offer a 5.7% increase on base pay.
“FlySafair is pleased to confirm that the strike action by a portion of its pilot workforce has officially come to an end. This follows the signing of a formal agreement between airline management and Solidarity today, concluding several weeks of intensive engagement under the guidance of the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration,” the airline said in a statement.
“Most importantly for the South African travelling public, this development means that
FlySafair will begin restoring full capacity to the market. With all aircraft returning to active duty and schedules being normalised, the airline anticipates a stabilisation of airfares in the coming weeks as more seats become available across the network.”
The airline did not say what salary increase had been agreed to but, in its own statement, Solidarity said pilots would receive increases of 6%, 6.5%, 6.8% and 6.9%, respectively, over the next four years.
These percentages would also apply to annual adjustments in travel and subsistence allowances, as well as the medical allowance, it said, and pilots would get additional compensation for any hours in excess of 65 flying hours per month.
Among their demands, the pilots wanted one weekend off a month and a more predictable roster, saying the current system caused stress, exhaustion and had led to some resignations. FlySafair argued that the proposed system would limit the airline’s ability to roster pilots efficiently, which would affect passengers and the wider crew.
On Friday, Solidarity said the new shift roster system agreed to was now regulated by “hard rules” and no longer by “soft rules” that could be adjusted at will by management.
The union said the parties had agreed that pilots would receive at least one 60-hour weekend off in every six-week cycle, with a minimum of nine weekends off per year. Those who had to work on their days off would get that time back the following month.
It said the agreement was an important step but there were still concerns that it only protected “the very basic rights of the pilots”.
The strike at FlySafair came as South Africa’s airlines struggle to recover from the devastation caused by lockdowns, both locally and around the world, during the Covid-19 pandemic. The sector has also been affected by the weak domestic economy and high fuel costs.