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IOL News
a day ago
- Business
- IOL News
FlySafair denies avoiding CCMA mediation as pilots strike over pay
FlySafair on Tuesday said it was operating a reduced schedule,with only two flights cancelled: the 16:45 service from Cape Town to Lanseria and the 19:30 return flight from Lanseria to Cape Town. Image: Itumeleng English/Independent Newspapers FlySafair has refuted claims suggesting that it has refused to engage with the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), asserting that it has actively participated in all required discussions throughout the process. This comes as FlySafair experienced operational disruptions on Monday as it was forced to cancel 26 flights following the lockout of around 200 pilots who have embarked on industrial action. The pilots are demanding a 10.5% baseline increase alongside adjustments to flight pay and bonuses for the next financial year, and then 4.5% and 4% respectively for the two years thereafter. They rejected the proposed 5.7% salary increase by FlySafair. Trade union Solidarity had accused FlySafair of refusing to accept the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) to mediate the dispute in terms of section 150 of the Labour Relations Act but resolving to lock out its pilots for seven days. However, the CCMA was roped in to mediate the dispute on Monday after FlySafair cancelled 13% of its scheduled flights. FlySafair on Tuesday said it remained committed to resolving this matter constructively and will be meeting with the CCMA on Wednesday. The airline said claims that it had refused to participate in the CCMA process were factually incorrect, adding that it has actively engaged with the CCMA throughout the process, as required by law to obtain a protected strike certificate, and continues to participate in CCMA-facilitated discussions in good faith. In a bid to reassure travellers amid ongoing industrial action involving a segment of its pilot workforce, FlySafair announced that all flights scheduled for Tuesday were departing as planned. The airline said it was operating a reduced schedule which was proactively implemented last week, with all customers affected by time changes notified via SMS and email using the contact details provided at the time of booking, well in advance of their departures. It said only two flights were cancelled: the 16:45 service from Cape Town to Lanseria and the 19:30 return flight from Lanseria to Cape Town. According to FlySafair, these passengers have been directly communicated with, and their preferences respected regarding rebooking and refunds. Kirby Gordon, chief marketing officer at FlySafair, expressed empathy for affected customers. 'We know that travel disruptions can be incredibly stressful, especially when plans are made well in advance,' Gordon said. 'We're truly sorry for the inconvenience this has caused and want to reassure our customers that we are doing everything in our power to restore full operations as quickly as possible. Our teams are working around the clock to support affected customers, and we remain fully committed to finding a fair and sustainable resolution.' Meanwhile, Solidarity on Tuesday said the improvement in their quality of life was the main issue for pilots when the mediation process begins on Wednesday. Solidarity said while the pilots were also seeking a reasonable salary increase – including to restore their compensation to pre-COVID-19 levels – improved working conditions were particularly important. However, it is the shift in working conditions that has taken centre stage, particularly following the unilateral implementation of a new rostering system by FlySafair. Solidarity said this change has disrupted established protocols that have governed the pilots' schedules for the past decade, causing a ripple effect on their work-life balance. The pilots have expressed concerns that the new scheduling system limits adequate rest periods. "This new schedule impedes adequate rest periods and undermines pilots' family life. As pilots' workdays often start before sunrise and last until late at night, sufficient rest is of utmost importance for the safety and wellbeing of pilots and passengers alike," the union said in a statement. "In addition, pilots work seven days a week on a rotating schedule, which significantly impacts their family life compared to those who work standard office hours. In the upcoming meeting under the auspices of the CCMA, it is therefore essential for FlySafair to demonstrate a willingness to ensure more flexibility in the scheduling system." Solidarity has encouraged FlySafair to show a commitment to flexible scheduling. Proposed solutions from the pilots include a guarantee of at least one weekend off within each five-week cycle to allow proper rest and family time, the ability to exchange shifts among colleagues to accommodate personal and family responsibilities, and compensation for any flights undertaken on their days off in subsequent schedule cycles. BUSINESS REPORT
IOL News
a day ago
- Business
- IOL News
Why FlySafair pilots are striking: It's more than just money
Long queues formed at the FlySafair counters on Monday morning as the airline grappled with a labour impasse that grounded some flights. Image: Jonisayi Maromo/IOL As hundreds bemoan the FlySafair strike, Solidarity has released a statement expressing the real reason why pilots have downed their tools - and it's not just about the money. While pilots overseas can earn up to R3 million plus housing and extras, earlier reports indicate that FlySafair pilots requested a raise. FlySafair responded stating that their Captains earn between R1.8 and R2.3 million annually, which, according to them, places the pilots within the top 1% of earners in South Africa. With regards to workload woes, FlySafair noted that its Captains spent an average of 63 hours last month in the cockpit flying passengers. It added that this is "well within regulatory limits set by the Civil Aviation Authority, IATA, and ICAO", which cap flight duty at 100 hours per month. While there is no doubt that that is a lot of money, the big question is: What is the point of having a full bank account if you cannot see your loved ones and your quality of life is low? According to Solidarity's statement, the improvement in the pilots' quality of life is the main issue. This is set to be tackled when the mediation process between Solidarity and FlySafair's management takes place on Wednesday. The process was requested by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), in terms of section 150 of the Labour Relations Act. "While the pilots are also seeking a reasonable salary increase – including to restore their compensation to pre-COVID-19 levels – improved working conditions are particularly important. A new rostering system, recently implemented unilaterally by FlySafair, has drastically changed the established working conditions of pilots, which have been in place for the past decade. This new schedule impedes adequate rest periods and undermines pilots' family life," the union stated. "As pilots' workdays often start before sunrise and last until late at night, sufficient rest is of utmost importance for the safety and well-being of pilots and passengers alike. In addition, pilots work seven days a week on a rotating schedule, which significantly impacts their family life compared to those who work standard office hours." Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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Next Stay Close ✕ The proposals to achieve a settlement include, but are not limited to: that pilots will have at least one weekend off within each five-week schedule cycle, as well as two consecutive days off to properly rest and spend quality time with their families; the opportunity for pilots to exchange shifts with colleagues in cases where family responsibilities necessitate such flexibility; that if they have to fly on their days off, they will be compensated for these days off within the next schedule cycle. Additional schedule proposals will also be submitted to FlySafair's management during the mediation. It's worth noting that Solidarity stated that if FlySafair complies with the above requests, it will be prepared to review the salary increase demand and all other related claims and be willing to compromise. This statement comes hours after FlySafair has confirmed that all flights on Tuesday's schedule are departing as planned and assured customers that disruptions have been minimal so far. IOL
IOL News
2 days ago
- Business
- IOL News
CCMA steps in as FlySafair pilots strike over pay dispute
Some travelers faced uncertainty at Cape Town International Airport as FlySafair's check-in counters and grounded planes reflected the ongoing pilot strike, with many flights canceled on July 21, 2025, amid wage disputes and demands for better working conditions. Image: Henk Kruger/ Independent Media The Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) has been roped in to mediate the dispute between FlySafair and trade union Solidarity, in terms of section 150 of the Labour Relations Act. This comes as around 200 pilots represented by Solidarity embarked on a 14-day strike at FlySafair on Monday after wage negotiations deadlocked. The pilots are demanding a 10.5% baseline increase alongside adjustments to flight pay and bonuses for the next financial year, and then 4.5% and 4% respectively for the two years thereafter. They rejected the proposed 5.7% salary increase by FlySafair. Solidarity deputy general secretary of public sector, Helgard Cronjé, on Monday expressed cautious optimism following FlySafair's turnabout to engage in mediation at the insistence of the CCMA. Cronjé said the negotiations could have begun earlier, potentially averting a strike that threatens to disrupt air travel for thousands of passengers as FlySafair had to cancel at least 26 flights on Monday. Cronjé articulated doubts regarding FlySafair's urgency in addressing the ongoing crisis, adding that their request to negotiate was not being taken seriously. 'FlySafair underestimated how disruptive the lock-out will be. It is costing them too much and the passengers are paying the price,' Cronjé said. 'Still, FlySafair has indicated that they are willing to start the negotiation process only by Wednesday. As a result, thousands more passengers will be affected before FlySafair comes to the table.' Cronjé said Solidarity was hoping that FlySafair's agreement to the mediation process will mark the beginning of real solutions that address the concerns of their pilots with genuine seriousness and that could pave the way for improved working relations in the future. The trade union last week accused FlySafair of failing to agree to pilots' demands while most senior management members, CEO Elmar Conradie and CFO Pieter Richards, had allegedly earned more than R90 million by selling shares as the company is in a very favourable financial position. Meanwhile, FlySafair had earlier defended the offer it made to its pilots, saying that it was already 1.5% above the rate of consumer inflation when factoring in additional benefits, and was a competitive rate in the market. FlySafair said its pilots, particularly its captains, were among the highest-paid professionals in the country, earning between R1.8m and R2.3m a year, landing them in the top 1% of earners nationally. The airline said while such raises as per Solidarity demands may appear justifiable to some, the total economic impact proposed would exceed a staggering 20% increase in overall compensation, and this was unsustainable. In terms of workload, FlySafair said captains spent an average of 63 hours last month in the cockpit flying passengers, well within regulatory limits set by the Civil Aviation Authority, IATA, and ICAO, which cap flight duty at 100 hours per month. Kirby Gordon, chief marketing officer at FlySafair, said the management team's offer was crafted with the intention of balancing fair compensation with the financial realities faced by the airline and its 1 700 employees. 'A second area of contention is the pilot roster system implemented by FlySafair at the start of the year. This system—standard across the global airline industry and in force in every other airline in South Africa—allows pilots to receive their full monthly rosters by the 20th of the preceding month, enabling personal planning and scheduling. It also includes a preferential leave bidding process and a structured marketplace to facilitate duty swaps within regulated flight and duty limits,' Gordon said. 'The system was designed to improve operational efficiency and provide pilots with maximum flexibility. Attempts by Solidarity to alter or limit this system would strip away its key benefits, undermining FlySafair's ability to compete with other airlines and maintain cost-effective operations.' Gordon said their goal remained to reach a reasonable resolution quickly and committed the airline to engaging with our pilots in good faith and finding a way forward that balances fairness for our people with our responsibility to customers and the sustainability of the business. BUSINESS REPORT
IOL News
2 days ago
- Business
- IOL News
FlySafair pilots strike: Mediation process begins amid flight cancellations
Travelers face uncertainty at Cape Town International Airport as FlySafair's check-in counters and grounded planes reflect the ongoing pilot strike, with many flights canceled on July 21, 2025, amid wage disputes and demands for better working conditions. Image: Henk Kruger/ Independent Media AS the FlySafair pilot's strike enters day two, the deadlock between management and trade union Solidarity now forms part of a Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) process. On Monday afternoon Solidarity said it welcomed FlySafair's decision to participate in the mediation process as requested by the CCMA, in terms of section 150 of the Labour Relations Act. Solidarity said approximately 90% of FlySafair's pilots affiliated with the union declared their willingness to strike for one day and in response, FlySafair indicated that they would lock out the pilots for a period of seven days. A number of flights were cancelled at Cape Town International Airport due to the pilot's strike. Image: Henk Kruger/ Independent Media Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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FlySafair Monday morning said its hands were tied after the company received last-minute updates from certain pilots informing the carrier that they would not make it to work on Monday morning, forcing the cancellation of at least 26 flights. In an interview with IOL at the OR Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park, Kirby Gordon, Chief Marketing Officer for FlySafair, said the interruption of flights is regrettable and has left some passengers stranded. "What we are experiencing at the moment is that we have an industrial action on the part of our pilots, they have embarked on a stay-away strike which started today. They have deemed it to happen for two weeks. "Unfortunately, we had a number of commitments from a number of pilots to be able to cover our schedule today. Late last night, we received information from several of them, that they would be unable to fulfil their duties. As a result, we have had to cancel 26 of 174 flights today. So there has been cancellations which we apologise very deeply to our customers who have been stranded. Unfortunately, our hands are tied in this regard, because of the industrial action that is going on," he said. As an intervention, Gordon told IOL that Flysafair teams were assisting customers, and in some instances giving refunds. "Our teams are here and available to assist as much as they possibly can. We have booked passengers on other flights in the future, and with public carriers, where we have that available. Where that is not an option, we are issuing immediate refunds as quickly as we can," said Gordon. "We continue to approach them (the negotiations) with good faith. At this stage, we are still quite far apart. Unfortunately, the unions' demands are very high. They have been speaking about a demand of a 10 percent increase in salaries," said Gordon. "Actually, when one considers the full cost-to-company, that's more than 20.1 percent, which at the back of R1.8 to R2 million salary, which puts pilots within the top one percent of earners in this country, you can understand that it is just an untenable position." According to Helgard Cronjé, deputy general secretary of public industry at Solidarity, there are still doubts about whether FlySafair is approaching the situation with the necessary urgency. 'FlySafair underestimated how disruptive the lock-out will be. It is costing them too much and the passengers are paying the price. 'Still, FlySafair has indicated that they are willing to start the negotiation process only by Wednesday. As a result, thousands more passengers will be affected before FlySafair comes to the table,' said Cronjé. Cape Times
IOL News
3 days ago
- Business
- IOL News
FlySafair slammed for allegedly refusing CCMA mediation as strike strands passengers
The FlySafair pilot strike led to around 8% of flights being cancelled on Monday. Image: Supplied Scores of FlySafair passengers were left stranded on Monday morning as pilots embarked on a strike over wages and working conditions. According to union Solidarity, which is representing the aggrieved pilots, the airline is refusing to partake in a mediation process initiated by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA). 'The CCMA has offered its help in terms of section 150 of the Labour Relations Act (No. 66 of 1995) to resolve the dispute between Solidarity and FlySafair. Solidarity has formally agreed to the CCMA process, but by the end of the weekend FlySafair was still refusing to agree to it,' Solidarity said in a statement released on Monday morning. IOL has reached out to FlySafair for commentary on the CCMA matter. FlySafair said it cancelled 8% of its flights on Monday after pilots who had previously indicated their availability to fly, instead joined the two-week strike. Airports Company South Africa said it was aware of the ongoing operational disruptions affecting FlySafair flights on Monday and said it has implemented contingency measures to minimise disruptions. 'While a number of flights have been cancelled, the majority of FlySafair services are operating as scheduled, and airport operations continue as normal,' ACSA said. The airports company said passengers should contact FlySafair directly for flight-specific updates and use the ACSA Mobile App for live flight notifications. Talks in deadlock after a weekend of no progress Solidarity said the strike was initially meant to last for one day, to get FlySafair to the negotiating table. But it said the airline then responded by locking out the pilots for seven days. 'We welcome the CCMA's intervention. The disruption of an airline is a matter of national interest. Such disruption must be avoided. Our aim with the one-day strike notice was to get FlySafair to the negotiating table,' Solidarity commented. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading 'We were prepared to do everything possible over the weekend to prevent the disruption and find a solution with the help of the CCMA. Instead of coming to the table, FlySafair escalated the disruption by locking out the pilots for at least seven days.' Pilot pay is competitive, FlySafair says Solidarity has accused FlySafair of having an 'aggressive business style', leading to around 90% of its members voting in favour of a strike. Solidarity is demanding a 10.5% increase for 2025/26, with pilots claiming they're still earning 10% less than pre-pandemic levels. However, FlySafair says that this would amount to a cost-to-company increase of more than 20% once additional demands had been factored in, which it says is an unsustainable escalation for any company. The airline has offered its pilots an 'above inflation' increase of 5.7%. FlySafair maintains that its pilots are among the best-compensated professionals in South Africa, with captains earning between R1.8 million and R2.3 million per year, placing them within the country's top 1% of earners. These salaries are regularly benchmarked against those at other local airlines and are higher than most, the airline said. Responding to accusations that pilots were overworked, FlySafair said its captains spent an average of 63 hours in the cockpit last month, which is well within regulatory limits set by the Civil Aviation Authority, IATA and ICAO, which cap flight duty at 100 hours per month. This is a developing story. Stay tuned to IOL for further updates. IOL
