SATAWU hopes to avoid air traffic control strike

The South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU) says it wants to avoid a looming workers’ strike at the Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS) because air traffic control is an essential service.

The strike could potentially disrupt air travel in the country.

The union is demanding a 6.5% wage increase, but negotiations have deadlocked as ATNS is offering 2% less.

SATAWU’s national aviation coordinator, Nelson Lamityi says the reasons that the employer has offered for rejecting the 6.5% increase for Air Traffic Service are confusing.

“We have three bargaining units at ATNS. We settled in the other two bargaining units in different percentages which vary from 6.7% and 6.8%. However, we deadlocked in terms of what management offered in the ATNS bargaining unit.”

“They are saying in terms of the ATNS bargaining unit, they cannot to give our members 6.5% as demanded by the union because the company is not in a good financial standing,” adds Lamityi.

PODCAST | Looming SATAWU strike by ATNS workers