The South African way

[Jamex]

I will try to keep this light-hearted, but the following applies to how things are done at all state-run enterprises;

Traditional wisdom tells us that if your horse dies, you should get another horse. Excepting if you work for a state owned and run enterprise. Then it is expected you should adopt more advanced strategies. Here are some examples:

1.Buy a bigger whip.
2.Change the rider.
3.Appoint a commitee to study the dead horse.
4.Send your committee to other countries to determine how they ride dead horses.
5.Lower the standards so that a dead horse can still be regarded as alive.
6.Re-classify dead horses as "vitality challenged"
7.Appoint a consultant to conduct courses on the best way to ride a dead horse.
8.Put two or more dead horses together as a team to improve productivity
9.Make extra funds available for further training of dead horses
10.Examine the possibility of appointing smaller riders for dead horses
11.Publish, with great fanfare, a break-through; dead horses are more cost effective because you dont have to feed them
12.If nothing else works, giv ethe dead horse a cabinet appointment

This is the way things are done in SA, whether it be soccer dead horses or SAA!

[putt for dough]

Feel better cuz? :D

[Avi8tor]

I prefered the toyota vs SAA in a canoe race that was posted a few months back.

[Kiepie]

12 ways to earn a huge bonus!

[JetNut]

Management are considering offering all SAA pilots a retention bonus, so as to keep them for awhile in the wake of all the resignations.

This is exactly what happened about 5 years ago when SAX went through a similar restructuring, and after too many pilots took the severence package.

Show me the money...:}

[Frogman1484]

Jetnut you cannot be serious! What happened to retrenching 250 pilots...is this the "Let me give you some money so that I can fire you later " tactic...only in Africa

[skyvan]

Sadly, suitcaseman, it does make sense.

The managers have done the best they can to get the SAA pilots to fear for the future of the airline. For once, they have succeeded in the goal, but have not taken into account the current market.

The pilots are finding it very easy to leave, I have heard that most of the pilots present at the latest Emirates roadshow are in SAA.

So, now the pilots have decided to leave, and the management have realised that they cannot afford to lose pilots (never mind retrench 225pilots, what tosh!) so now they are going to have to find a way to make it attractive to stay, which they will have to do. We cannot train crews fast enough to replace the current resignations, if the drain increases, the phrase about paddles and creeks springs to mind.

It's funny, SAA was an airline to join to retire from, and SAA came to the party by making the job and lifestyle comfortable enough that you did not look outside for other jobs. SAA benefitted by not having to be perpetually training pilots who, as soon as they had the experience, would leave for better conditions (such as Comair are finding now).

The SAA pilots who leave to work overseas will not see a big increase in conditions, but, if you are a contractor, you do not feel as frustrated when some lame manager makes a decision that costs your airline millions, because it's not your airline.

[sslut]

Does this mean the more anally retentive you are - the bigger the retention bonus? ...... just asking

[Avi8tor]

We cannot train crews fast enough to replace the current resignations
No, your quite right. Not of it takes 4 months to do a type rating that EK does in 5 weeks. Also not if you have people jumping up and down thru the fleets. Had drinks at ALPA, with a guy from SAA, that had done 6 conversions in 7 yrs.

Sorry guys, SAA had a HALL FULL of sims, just have to put 50c in the slot to play. Plenty of retired talent to sit on the panel and push the buttons.

the management have realised that they cannot afford to lose pilots
Dont kid yourself, when everybody in SAA starts writing 900 hrs a yr in their logbooks, then you have to start hiring. And plenty of good guys out there.

Lets see who blinks first.