30 April, 2002, JOHANNESBURG: In line with making the airline profitable and competitive, South African Airways (SAA) management remains committed to negotiations with employees' associations, including those representing pilots and cabin crew.
The arbitration ruling last week in favour of the employees' associations, the SAA Pilot Associaton (SAAPA) and the SAA Flight Engineers Association (SAAFEA), representing flight deck crew culminated in a ruling prohibiting unilateral cancellation or amendment of collective agreements that are not perpetual.
SAAPA and SAFEA, the employees' associations, had issued a statement today (30 April), stating that their negotiation teams have decided to "suspend negotiations until such time as we receive a written undertaking from the company that they will not review the arbitration." SAA respects the arbitration ruling and will abide by it. We will meet SAAPA and SAAFEA to inform them that rumours that SAA will challenge the ruling are baseless and without foundation.
Issued by Andre Viljoen, SAA President and CEO.