Tebogo Msimanga |
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) says it rejects any attempts by the Business Rescue Practitioners at Comair to down vary working conditions of employees.NUMSA demands that from the 1st of January 2022 all employees should receive their salaries in full and no longer be paid only 70% of their salaries.
NUMSA General Secretary Irvin Jim said this is because since signing the collective agreement in September 2020, employees have been earning only 70% of their salaries. “This was after Comair was grounded due to financial difficulties, and then subsequently placed under business rescue.”
Jim added that what is worrying is that a conversation has been started in the company to extend the practice of paying only 70% salary for next year in January and beyond, particularly for the Comair stations based in Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha) East London, and George (PEG).
“Thanks to cowardly unions like Solidarity, the Comair Pilots Association and management, employees got locked into a very backward collective bargaining agreement which slashed their salaries down to 70% and drastically reduced benefits and conditions.”
Jim reiterated that the impact of these draconian measures is that staff morale is extremely low. “Workers are being paid slave wages. They cannot afford to sustain themselves and their families on the current pay rate. They are also totally overworked and drastically underpaid.”
