SAA pilots poised to go on strike over wages

South African Airways flights may be disrupted and thousands of passengers left stranded should planned industrial action by the carrier's pilot body go ahead this morning.

- Hein Kaiser

A source within the SAA pilot body confirmed that the SAA flight deck will down tools at 7am. Unconfirmed reports also suggest cabin crew may stage a simultaneous sympathy strike.

The planned action comes as a result of wage talks gone awry.

In a statement, SAA interim CEO John Lamola said the South African Airways Pilots Association (Saapa) demanded a 30% increase in pilot salaries in May this year, but subsequently reduced to 15.7% plus benefits.

In turn, SAA countered with salary increases of 8.46% that it would backdate to April.

In an internal communication to staff at SAA, seen by The Citizen, Lamola also said he was disappointed by the pending strike.