NUMSA sues plan to cut 400 jobs at Comair
For the National Union of Steelworkers of South Africa (NUMSA), the layoffs of 400 Comair workers, are "illegal and unjust". On October 31, the provisional administrators of the private South African company (owner of the company kulula. com) announced that they had concluded a collective agreement with the unions regarding job cuts (400 out of 2,200).
NUMSA, which says it is not a party to the agreement, has appealed to a labor court in order to block the process. Meeting for the occasion on Thursday, November 19, the court postponed the case to a later date. These job cuts are part of the Comair bailout, released in early September.
Before arriving at the layoffs, the British Airways franchise partner has put its staff on unpaid technical leave since the suspension of operations on March 27 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A decision that NUMSA also denounces. The carrier had 72 consecutive years of profitability until 2018. But since the cessation of its operations, it has been in financial difficulty. This is what forced him to go on a bailout last May.
It could soon emerge from this situation, thanks to its takeover by SA Bidco (a new South African entity which includes former members of the board of directors and executives of Comair). The Competition Commission has approved the proposed merger between the two entities, and Bidco has already obtained the necessary loans to finance the rescue plan valued at 61 million euros. The company's return to the air could take place by December.
