Wage dispute at Comair could end up clipping airline’s wings

Group Labour Editor A STRIKE which could potentially ground Comair’s fleet is on the cards, after unions and the airline failed to agree on wage increases.

While Comair maintained yesterday that it had contingency plans in place to keep its aircraft in the air when cabin crew downed tools, a union leader disagreed.

Solidarity and the United Association of SA were granted a certificate of no resolution by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration earlier this week.

The unions and Comair have been in wage talks since September last year.

Solidarity’s Derek Mans could not say when the mass action would go ahead, as the unions were still getting feedback from their members.

According to the law, they do have to give the airline 48 hours warning before they go on strike.

Comair chief executive Erik Venter said he was disappointed that the parties had not been able to reach an amicable solution.

“We benchmark our remuneration on a regular basis to ensure the manner in which we remunerate our employees does reflect the dynamics of the market,” he said.

A three-year wage deal came to an end last year. It included unions agreeing not to receive an increase in the first year because of the airline’s poor finances.

However, now that Comair’s financial position had improved, unions wanted a 12.4 percent wage hike.

“We think this fair, given the company’s improved finances… and it will help us make up for what we lost in the first year,” Mans said.

Comair has two offers on the table: One is a 7.5 percent salary increase, and the other is an 8 percent pay rise based on conditions, which include that cabin crew can only start claiming overtime at 125 hours instead of the current 121.

Mans said if employees agreed to the second option they would essentially be paying for their own increases, as Comair would be saving 40 percent on its overtime bill.

Venter said he believed the airline’s offer was favourable.