South African Airways has announced the cancellation of nearly all its domestic and international flights as the South African Cabin Crew Association (SACCA) has threatened industrial action following the airline’s plan to retrench workers.
In a statement, SAA announced on Wednesday night that it had cancelled nearly all its domestic, regional and international flights scheduled for Friday, November 15 and Saturday, November 16. The statement further read:
The airline’s key objective is to minimise the impact of disruptions for its customers.
The statement was issued after workers’ unions had earlier on Wednesday vowed that their members would continue with the scheduled industrial action. Addressing journalists in Johannesburg, Zazi Nsibanyoni-Mugambi, president of the South African Cabin Crew Association (SACCA) said that the association was embarking “on the mother of all strikes”.
Meanwhile, Irvin Jim, general secretary of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) said:
We are grounding that airline on Friday.
More: AFP