COSATU statement on SAA planned retrenchments

19 April 2020

The Congress of South African Trade Unions is deeply concerned by the announcement that thousands of South African Airways employees are facing retrenchments because of the airline’s financial problems. Behind these numbers are breadwinners, whose ability to provide for their families is being taken away from them. The future of these are families is being destroyed.

This is disastrous because it comes at a time when many families are already struggling because of the economic crisis following the outbreak of the Covid-19 virus. We simply cannot afford to condemn more workers to the unemployment line.

The Federation is looking forward to meeting with the Minister of Public Enterprises, Pravin Gordhan, who has been invited to come and brief the Alliance Secretariat meeting tomorrow on both SAA and SA Express.

We will use this meeting to engage the Minister and Government and urge them to explore alternatives to these planned devastating retrenchments by the business rescue practitioners. The outcomes of the meeting will then be communicated to workers and the public tomorrow.

Issued by Sizwe Pamla, National Spokesperson, COSATU, 20 April 2020