Johannesburg - Negotiations with low-cost airline Mango are set to resume at the CCMA soon, union Solidarity said on Tuesday.
“Following a request from the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), Solidarity will further negotiate with Mango,” spokesman Marius Croucamp said in a statement.
Earlier negotiations at the CCMA between Solidarity and Mango deadlocked, after which a strike certificate was issued to the trade union.
The strike notice was issued on Wednesday last week. Mango confirmed on Friday that it had received Solidarity's notice.
The dispute arose from a 2011 agreement where Mango gave a written undertaking to bring its pilots' pay in line with that of other low-cost carriers (LCC) by 2014.
The union said Mango signed a three-year wage agreement in 2012 giving effect to an agreement made in 2011.
The 2012 agreement included guaranteed minimum increases for 2012, 2013 and 2014.
A further clause stated that, should the other airlines give their pilots increases during the three-year period, the parties would review Mango's agreed-upon increases in order to maintain parity.
Last year, Solidarity approached Mango in good faith for such a review.
However, the airline violated the spirit of the agreement by referring the review clause to the CCMA, Croucamp said.
“We are still committed to collective bargaining and reaching an agreement at the negotiating table,” Croucamp said.
He said the parties were still to agree on a new date for the negotiations.
Mango spokesman Hein Kaizer said the airline was committed to continue fulfilling the agreed terms with the union.
“The airline acts, at all times, in good faith and is always prepared to engage with its employees or their representatives where the objective remains seeking an agreeable resolution,” Kaizer said.
Mango employed 101 pilots at four airports in Johannesburg, Lanseria, Cape Town and Durban.
Around 90 percent of Mango pilots were members of Solidarity, the airline said. - Sapa