Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan on Saturday morning convened a high-level meeting between senior government leadership and representatives of the SAA unions, including SATAWU, NUMSA, Solidarity, and non-unionised staff formation.
This comes after the business rescue practitioners (BRPs) of the embattled airline on Thursday said that they did not have sufficient funds available to continue honouring the obligations of SAA to its employees beyond April 30 and to bear the costs of the wind-down process.
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the status of the Business Rescue Process, finalise a Leadership Compact, the process to give input to the Business Rescue Plan and how the impact of the Business Rescue Process on employees can be mitigated.
In respect of the immediate threat of liquidation, it was agreed with the business rescue practitioners that they would not consider an application for liquidation, and in addition they would suspend the Section 189 process, and offer to employees until the close of business next Friday.
The decision was based on a briefing to the business rescue practitioners on the constructive work being done in what is referred to as “The Leadership Consultative Forum” chaired by Gordhan.
The parties agreed in principle to a groundbreaking Leadership Compact which commits the leadership of the DPE and unions to a new shared vision, strategic objectives, structures and processes for meaningful engagement, strategic equity partners including employees and other elements aimed at building new, fundamentally different cooperative relationships based on a spirit of strategic partnerships.