‘No Winners': FlySafair and pilots reach wage agreement after 12-day lockout
After 12 days of strike action by Flysafair pilots, disgruntled over wages and working hours, an agreement has been reached.
In an email on Friday, the union Solidarity confirmed that an agreement had finally been reached through the CCMA's (Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration) proposed settlement.
"This brings an end to the longest pilot strike and lockout in South African history."
Helgard Cronjé, Deputy General Secretary of Solidarity, said the CCMA-led proposal, accepted by both parties, was the closest middle ground they could reach.
'There are no winners in this process.' The new shift roster system is now governed by fixed rules and no longer by so-called 'soft rules' that management could arbitrarily adjust."
Regarding remuneration, pilots will receive salary increases of 6%, 6,5%, 6,8% and 6,9% respectively over the next four years.
Pilots were asking for a 10 percent increase.
*This is a developing story*
IOL News
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Citizen
4 hours ago
- The Citizen
35 000 LIV South Africa tickets already sold
Interest in South Africa's LIV Golf tournament is 'off the charts', according to Stinger GC general manager Richard Glover. Speaking to the Sunday Times from Chicago, where Louis Oosthuizen's all-South African team was leading after the first round, Glover revealed that more than 35 000 tickets had been sold for LIV's debut African event at Steyn City next March – with over 30 000 snapped up in the first week alone. 'The interest in this event has been off the charts, both from a public perspective and also from a corporate South Africa perspective,' said Glover, a former Tennis SA CEO. He said LIV Golf aimed to 'position itself as the Formula 1 of golf' by complementing traditional Tours, attracting new sponsors and growing the game. Data shows 54% of LIV fans are aged 16-34, and 30% of attendees at its events are first-time golf fans. MORE: Steyn City faces big build-up to LIV Golf debut Kelvin Watt, chairman of Nielsen Sports Africa, told the Sunday Times the local market was 'ripe' for LIV, predicting the event's economic impact could be 'in the hundreds of millions, if not in the billions of rands' through hospitality, tourism and related services. He said LIV's $25-million (R443m) prize fund for the Steyn City event will exceed the entire Sunshine Tour purse for the 2024-25 season by almost R160m. 'They really do know how to put on a show,' Watt added, comparing LIV's potential impact to the Million Dollar Challenge in the 1980s – 'the original LIV' in terms of small fields, guaranteed payouts and global appeal. FULL STORY
The Citizen
6 hours ago
- The Citizen
Green hydrogen to power South Africa's future economy and job creation
Green hydrogen is set to play a defining role in South Africa's future energy mix, economic growth, and youth employment opportunities. This is according to Electricity and Energy Minister, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa. Ramokgopa said South Africa is uniquely placed to lead the green hydrogen economy – an industry projected to exceed $300b (R60b) in global exports over the next 30 years. ALSO READ: Complaint lodged against City of Ekurhuleni for failing to supply electricity 'Green hydrogen is a big part of the South African growth story because it helps us to beneficiate our upstream endowments in the form of our platinum group metals (PGMs),' he said. 'Mining has the highest employment absorption capacity of any sector, so it's going to help get more people into employment.' South Africa is home to 80% of the world's PGMs and 40% of global platinum and palladium reserves – key ingredients in the hydrogen production process. Beyond its economic potential, green hydrogen offers solutions to decarbonising South Africa's hardest-to-abate sectors, particularly transport and energy. ALSO READ: CoE replaces old electricity meters with advanced pre-paid ones Ramokgopa noted that while Eskom is addressing electricity-related emissions, the country needs additional technology to reduce emissions in aviation and shipping – a gap green hydrogen can help close. 'It's going to help us transition and diversify our energy sources. With maturity, the cost of the technology will drop, making it a viable solution for South Africa,' he said. Aligning Africa's strategy The upcoming Africa Green Hydrogen Summit will focus on aligning African policy and investment to fully harness the continent's renewable potential. 'Africa can produce up to 60% of global renewable energy, but currently receives less than 1% of the total investment. Coordination is key,' Ramokgopa stressed. Jobs for the future The green hydrogen economy is expected to unlock thousands of jobs, particularly for South Africa's youth, across manufacturing, science, technology, and engineering sectors. Two PhD graduates, Dr Mphoma Matseke and Dr Victor Mashindi, currently working at Isondo Precious Metals, shared their experience with SAnews. ALSO READ: CoE updates locals on electricity meters 'Young people often don't know what green energy is. This platform can change that,' said Matseke. 'It feels amazing to be working at the cutting edge of technology. You leave university having studied science and end up in finance. Now, we can apply our knowledge to real problems, and that's exciting.' He encouraged young people to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics fields, especially chemistry, to participate in what he called a 'bright future' powered by green energy.
The South African
16 hours ago
- The South African
Did Elon Musk snub handshake to Ramaphosa?
A clip of Elon Musk seemingly snubbing a handshake from President Cyril Ramaphosa has gone viral. But is it all it seems for the Pretoria-born billionaire who has accused the South African government of promoting 'openly racist laws'? On the X app, a short clip of President Cyril Ramaphosa's visit to the White House resurfaced. In May, the president visited the Oval Office alongside a delegation, where he met with US President Donald Trump. In the video, Ramaphosa shakes the hands of US officials, whilst Elon Musk laughs and looks on. 'Elon Musk doesn't touch k******. This is embarrassing 💔', read a X post. However, a community note quickly corrected the fake news by posting the full clip of Elon shaking the president's hand. Last year, the two men met to discuss the potential operation of Elon Musk's internet satellite service, Starlink, in the country. In images posted by the president, Musk was seen smiling while shaking his hand. South Africa is one of a few African countries that has not granted Elon Musk's internet satellite service, Starlink, a licence to operate. According to the world's richest man, this is a result of 'racist laws', which require his company to adhere to a 30% local ownership mandate. The Pretoria-born billionaire is referring to the transformative legislation, Black Economic Empowerment (BEE), which he has reportedly rejected. According to reports, Starlink, which falls under SpaceX, could effectively bypass the law with its plans to invest over R2 billion in the country. Business Day reports that the company would finance infrastructure to support the Southern African Development Community (SADC), which is made up of 16 countries. Could Starlink operate in South Africa without adehering to transformative legislation? Images via X: @starlink In May, Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Solly Malatsi gazetted a policy direction for his department on Equity Equivalent Investment Programmes (EEIPs), which are considered 'alternatives' to transformative legislation. Without mentioning Starlink or Elon Musk, the minister claimed that the policy would 'attract investment,' specifically in operating licensing. The minister revealed that current legislation for foreign investments 'did not allow companies to contribute to transformation goals in ways other than traditional ownership'. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
