Latest news with #SolidarityUnion
The Herald
21-07-2025
- Business
- The Herald
FlySafair pilot strike leads to some flight cancellations
FlySafair has had to cancel 26 flights due to a labour strike by pilots. The Solidarity trade union said more than 200 pilots affiliated to it want a 10% salary increase and improved working conditions. They have rejected the airline's offer to workers of a 5.7% salary increase and adjustments to compensation. In a statement issued at 11pm on Sunday, the airline said while its contingency plans should ensure flight operations continue largely as scheduled on Monday, "unfortunately a quantity of flights have had to be cancelled". "The flights were assigned to pilots who had confirmed their availability to fly, but who late last night reported they would not fly. "All other flights are operating as planned, and affected customers have been contacted directly using details provided at the time of booking. Should there be further disruptions, customers will be notified promptly." Flights cancelled due to the pilot strike: FA112 — 11.45am Cape Town to Johannesburg FA262 — 2.25pm Johannesburg to Durban FA263 — 4.1pm Durban to Johannesburg FA310 — 7.20am Cape Town to Lanseria FA311 — 10am Lanseria to Cape Town FA690 — 3.15pm Cape Town to Johannesburg FA840 — 6.30am Cape Town to Bloemfontein FA841 — 8.40am Bloemfontein to Cape Town FA339 — 6.20am Cape Town to Lanseria FA315 — 9.20am Lanseria to Cape Town FA178 — 12pm Cape Town to Durban FA417 — 2.40pm Durban to Johannesburg FA418 — 4.3pm Johannesburg to Durban FA179 — 6.15pm Durban to Cape Town FA104 — 6.15am Cape Town to Johannesburg FA105 — 8.55am Johannesburg to Cape Town FA110 — 11.55am Cape Town to Johannesburg FA111 — 2.35pm Johannesburg to Cape Town FA540 — 7.45pm Johannesburg to Durban FA541 — 9.3pm Durban to Johannesburg FA306 — 11.30am Cape Town to Lanseria FA305 — 2.05pm Lanseria to Cape Town FA293 — 7am Cape Town to Johannesburg FA292 — 9.40am Johannesburg to Cape Town FA130 — 12.25pm Cape Town to Port Elizabeth FA031 — 2.30pm Port Elizabeth to Cape Town FlySafair said Solidarity's pay hike demand amounts to more than a 20% increase in overall cost to company, if the increase on base salaries and additional flight pay and bonuses are taken into account. This "is an unsustainable escalation for any company". By contrast, the company's offer on base pay and other benefits including a flight pay based bonus brings the total increase to 11.29% on a cost to company basis, Safair said. FlySafair pilots are among the best-compensated professionals in the country, the airline said. Its captains earn between R1.8m and R2.3m annually. "The salaries are regularly benchmarked against those at other local airlines and are higher than most. "In terms of workload, FlySafair captains spent an average of 63 hours last month in the cockpit flying passengers. This is well within regulatory limits set by the Civil Aviation Authority, IATA and ICAO, which cap flight duty at 100 hours per month. Additional responsibilities such as training and office time are factored in, as is standby duty, where pilots must be ready to fly at short notice, which is served from home under minimal restrictions." FlySafair defended the rostering system it implemented at the start of the year, which is a bone of contention with the union. "The system was designed to improve operational efficiency and provide pilots with maximum flexibility," it said. "Thes system, standard across the global airline industry and in force in every other airline in South Africa, allows pilots to receive their full monthly rosters by the 20th of the preceding month, enabling personal planning and scheduling. It also includes a preferential leave bidding process and a structured marketplace to facilitate duty swaps within regulated flight and duty limits. "We deeply regret the impact the situation is having on our customers. Our goal remains to reach a reasonable resolution quickly." What to do if your flight is cancelled. TimesLIVE
IOL News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Misleading 'white crosses' video: Solidarity responds to Trump's genocide claims
US President Donald Trump hands papers, purporting to be evidence of a white genocide in South Africa, to President Cyril Ramaphosa during a meeting in the Oval Office in Washington on Wednesday. Image: AFP The AfriForum's aligned Solidarity Union described the video shown by US President Donald Trump, as video evidence of mass atrocities and genocide carried out against white Afrikaner farmers in South Africa as misleading. President Cyril Ramaphosa, with his delegation that included popular South African golfers Ernie Els, Retief Goosen and businessman Johann Rupert, met with Trump on Wednesday to try and mend ties between the two nations. Trump ambushed Ramaphosa during a tense exchange with a series of contested claims about the killings of white farmers in South Africa, referring to it as white genocide. The US President asked for a montage of video clips to be played, which showed EFF president Julius Malema chanting 'Kill the Boer' and footage that showed rows of crosses, which Trump said were the graves of white people. "People are fleeing South Africa for their own safety. Their land is being confiscated, and in many cases, they're being killed," Trump said. Responding to the footage, Ramaphosa asked Trump if he knew this was, saying he had never seen it before. Trump insisted it was in South Africa. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ However, head of international liaison at Solidarity Jaco Kleynhans said the video was not related to a white genocide, saying that the footage was shot in 2020 after one incident of farm murders near Newcastle in KwaZulu-Natal. 'The footage that Trump showed was that of another event and it's not graves, it's just a series of crosses.…There was a misunderstanding. Farmers were protesting against farm killings. 'In this case there had been a farm murder where a farmer and his wife were killed during a robbery," he said. Kleynhans did stress, however, that there a memorial had been erected 30 years ago between Polokwane and Mokopane in Limpopo that pays homage to farmers that have been killed on their farms. 'The memorial is next to the N1 on a farm between Polokwane and Mokopane. There are around 3,000 crosses for everyone that died in farm attacks in the last 30 years,' Kleynhans said. He said the memorial, which consisted of about 3,000 small crosses that form the shape of a large cross, was not exclusively for white farmers but anybody that had been killed on a farm. 'The vast majority, more than 90%, are Afrikaner farmers. But it is not exclusively Afrikaners and the crosses are not just for Afrikaners who died in farm attacks. He said white farmers make up 0,03% of the South African population (25,000 out of 63 million) but 1% of all murders in 2024 were of farmers. He added that this did not translate to a fully fledged genocide but he blamed the government for not prioritising farm murders. 'We believe farmers, and especially white Afrikaner farmers are targeted and affected by farm attacks brought about by a deliberate effort by the government not to ensure safety in rural, farm areas, an unwillingness by the police to safeguard farming communities and the continued use of hate songs that encourage violence against white farmers. 'This is not yet a full-fledged genocide, but is a dangerous precursor to greater violence that could ultimately lead to genocide,' he said. He said since the government dismantled the commando units, an armed unit that was designed to protect farmers, farm murders had increased. 'There has been negligence in farm safety. The president has not done much to protect farmers. We are not saying that other murders are less serious. We are just saying that farm attacks must also be prioritised.
IOL News
19-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Ntshavheni faces legal action over misinformation claims against Solidarity
The Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni faces claims by union Solidarity Union over defamation and treason. Image: Itumeleng English / Independent Newspapers Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, has not indicated whether she will withdraw her assertions about the spreading of misinformation by Solidarity, but stated that she will consult with her legal team if she receives any legal papers from the organisation. Solidarity said it had launched legal action against the minister accusing her of defamation over her claims of spreading misinformation. The minister has been given seven days to withdraw a media statement made on March 27, 2025, and offer an unconditional apology to Solidarity for reputational damage. In a formal legal notice served to Ntshavheni, the organisation's CEO Dirk Hermann demanded that she apologise or face defamation and treason charges; failure to do so would result in the union pursuing more legal charges. The controversy began when Ntshavheni accused Solidarity and AfriForum of waging a "misinformation and disinformation campaign" during their joint visit to the US. Hermann described the accusations as absurd and part of a campaign to deflect attention from diplomatic relations between South Africa and the US. "It all started on the 3rd of February when the ANC said in a press release that AfriForum was guilty of spreading misinformation," Hermann said. Hermann further emphasised that Ntshavheni's accusations were made without evidence, yet she used them to justify law enforcement action against Solidarity and AfriForum. "Without providing any facts, the minister in the presidency said that the cabinet takes note of the continued misinformation and that the acts of treason cannot be left unpunished," Hermann added. The situation escalated when Ntshavheni described Solidarity's actions as "treasonous" and a threat to national sovereignty. She proposed the regulating of civil society organisations, which Solidarity views as an attack on freedom of speech and association. Law enforcement agencies are currently investigating treason charges against Solidarity and AfriForum based on Ntshavheni's allegations. Solidarity has denounced Ntshavheni's statements, calling them an attempt to silence organisations that challenge prevailing state ideologies. Hermann warned that if Ntshavheni fails to meet their demands, further legal action will follow. "This unfounded narrative needs to stop before the real problems can be addressed," Hermann said. The legal action against Ntshavheni comes amid strained diplomatic relations between South Africa and the US. The US had expelled former South African ambassador Ebrahim Rasool in March, declaring him persona non grata for criticising Trump. The appointment of a new ambassador is still pending, with Mcebisi Jonas serving as special envoy to the US. Independent legal expert Shadrack Moyo said Solidarity may have a case if they are able to prove that Ntshavheni's assertions were damaging to the organisation. 'If the organisation is able to show the court that they suffered reputational damages, then they may have a case and Ntshavheni may be forced to apologise to the organisations. But they would have to prove that (beyond reasonable doubt),' Moyo said. Cape Times
IOL News
18-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Solidarity gives Minister Ntshavheni 7-day ultimatum to 'withdraw defamatory statements'
The Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni faces claims by union Solidarity Union over defamation and treason. Image: Itumeleng English / Independent Newspapers Solidarity has launched legal action against Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, accusing her of defamation over her claims of spreading misinformation. The minister has been given seven days to withdraw a media statement made on March 27, 2025, and offer an unconditional apology to Solidarity for reputational damage. In a formal legal notice served to Ntshavheni, the organisation's CEO Dirk Hermann demanded that she apologise or face defamation and treason charges; failure to do so would result in the union pursuing more legal charges. The controversy began when Ntshavheni accused Solidarity and AfriForum of waging a "misinformation and disinformation campaign" during their joint visit to the US. Hermann described the accusations as absurd and part of a campaign to deflect attention from diplomatic relations between South Africa and the US. "It all started on the 3rd of February when the ANC said in a press release that AfriForum was guilty of spreading misinformation," Hermann said. Hermann further emphasised that Ntshavheni's accusations were made without evidence, yet she used them to justify law enforcement action against Solidarity and AfriForum. "Without providing any facts, the minister in the presidency said that the cabinet takes note of the continued misinformation and that the acts of treason cannot be left unpunished," Hermann added. The situation escalated when Ntshavheni described Solidarity's actions as "treasonous" and a threat to national sovereignty. She proposed regulating civil society organisations, which Solidarity views as an attack on freedom of speech and association. Law enforcement agencies are currently investigating treason charges against Solidarity and AfriForum based on Ntshavheni's allegations. Solidarity has denounced Ntshavheni's statements, calling them an attempt to silence organisations that challenge prevailing state ideologies. Hermann warned that if Ntshavheni fails to meet their demands, further legal action will follow without hesitation. "This unfounded narrative needs to stop before the real problems can be addressed," Hermann said. Ntshavheni has not indicated whether she will withdraw her assertions but has stated that she will consult with her legal team if she receives any legal papers from Solidarity. The legal action against Ntshavheni comes amid strained diplomatic relations between South Africa and the US. The US had expelled former South African ambassador Ebrahim Rasool in March, declaring him persona non grata for criticising Trump. The appointment of a new ambassador is still pending, with Mcebisi Jonas serving as special envoy to the US. Adding fuel to the fire are media reports that have been reporting negatively on Solidarity and Afriforum's visit to the US. In late April, the Press Ombudsman ruled against one media platform for publishing misleading assertions about the two groups. Independent legal expert Shadrack Moyo said Solidarity may have a case if they are able to prove that Ntshavheni's assertions were damaging to the organisation. 'If the organisation is able to show the court that they suffered reputational damages, then they may have a case and Ntshavheni may be forced to apologise to the organisations. But they would have to prove that (beyond resonable doubt),' Moyo said. [email protected]
