Photo by: Reuters
Trade unions the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa and South African Cabin Crew Association have filed a joint urgent application in the Johannesburg Labour Court to stop the business rescue practitioners of South African Airways from taking any steps to cuts jobs until they have complied with the provisions of the Labour Relations Act.
The papers were filed on Tuesday.
Phakamile Hlubi-Majola, Numsa's national spokesperson, said the unions hoped to be able to argue their case in court on Thursday.
This comes after the airline's business rescue practitioners Siviwe Dongwana and Les Matuson announced last week that the flag carrier would be cancelling all of its domestic routes apart from Johannesburg to Cape Town.
Hlubi-Majola said the unions were also seeking an order from the court that the practitioners must be directed to comply with the terms of the wage agreement which was concluded last year in the wake of a strike.
This agreement, which was signed before the business rescue process commenced, stated that workers facing retrenchment must be placed in a training layoff scheme. Under this scheme, according to Hlubi-Majola, workers facing layoffs would be paid 75% of their salaries by a Sector Education and Training Authority, as they learn new skills.