SATAWU grossly expresses its displeasure and repugnance at the South African Airways (SAA), a state owned enterprise that is duly mandated by the constitution to support government's efforts in delivering a better life for all South Africans, black and white, but chose to act in the opposite direction. Amongst the key priority areas of the government's mandate in this electoral term is to pursue a program of a developmental state that seeks to improve the quality of lives of the citizens, fight poverty, create employment and provide efficient democratic space between labour and business as a means to stabilize our economy. To our knowledge, the government (with all its state owned companies) is further committed to the agenda of a social compact as agreed on within structures such as Nedlac and other bargaining forums.
We have noted that the South African Airways has chosen to betray the noble cause as pursued by your government by opposing all the ideals and priorities as stated by government. Unfortunately these acts by the SAA are in the form of union bashing, racism and anti-transformative agenda as set out by government. To us this is beyond the failure on promised service delivery by the state, but a gross betrayal of the working class in totality. The working class, organized in the various trade unions within SAA and unorganized in the form of communities and family members who relate to the workers is reeling as a result of the damages caused by the draconian actions of SAA management of amongst other things the following:
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