Hein Kaiser Mango staff have not been paid salaries since May. Since the beginning of lockdown last year, employees have voluntarily taken salary cuts to keep the airline afloat. Unions representing Mango staff will head to court this week to file an application for the airline to be placed in business rescue. Unions representing Mango staff will head to court this week to file an application for the airline to be placed in business rescue. This comes after the department of public enterprises ignored a deadline to respond to questions from staff about its future and unpaid salaries. Mango Pilots’ Association, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa, and the South African Cabin Crew Association said they had exhausted all other avenues to seek a solution to the funding impasse. Even a letter to Presiden
Mango takes to the skies again after chaotic cancellation of flights
By Itumeleng Mafisa
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Johannesburg - SAA-linked low-cost airline, Mango, was expected to resume flights on Thursday following a chaotic cancellation of flights on Wednesday.
Media reports suggest that customers were left stranded in several airports following the cancellation of flights due to a disagreement between the Airports Company of SA (Acsa) and the struggling airline.
The carrier was barred from taking off or landing at any of Acsa strip, which includes the main hubs in Joburg and Cape Town.
Passengers were encouraged to claim refunds or book again.
SAA unions want salaries to be paid within seven days Thando Maeko
Picture: Neil McCartney The two unions have suggested that the outstanding balance of five months’ pay be delayed to later in 2021 or that the money owed to employees be turned into equity.
Workers at South African Airways (SAA) have not been paid since March 2020, meaning that by the end of this month they will have been without salaries or benefits for 10 months.
Two labour unions – the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) and the South African Cabin Crew Association (Sacca) – now want the the Labour Court to compel the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) and the airline’s rescue practitioners to pay over three months’ deferred salaries to their members.
Silas Stein/picture alliance via Getty Images
Unions NUMSA and the SACCA intend to make an urgent application to the Labour Court regarding members backpay from SAA.
The unions want payment to their SAA members made within seven days
The rescue practitioners stopped paying SAA salaries in May when they effectively mothballed the airline.
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) and the SA Cabin Crew Association (SACCA) intend to make an urgent application to the Labour Court in Johannesburg on 28 January to have a deal regarding backpay of members of South African Airways (SAA) declared unlawful or unfair.