FlySafair pilots express their frustration in open letter

The FlySafair pilots' strike has entered its second week, with no resolution in sight as the airline and union Solidarity, remain deadlocked over working conditions.

The union stated, after this past weekend’s negotiations, that FlySafair’s offer of a 5.7% pay increase was largely acceptable, but the airline’s new roster system remained a sticking point.

On Tuesday, Solidarity issued an “open letter” to the public on behalf of its striking pilots, to explain their plight.

“Let us be clear: this strike is not about greed. It is about dignity. It is about safety. It is about fairness. It is about being heard,” the statement read.

“This year alone, 37 highly trained, experienced pilots have resigned - not in search of luxury, but in search of stability and respect. These are professionals who have sacrificed years of their lives and small fortunes in training, only to find themselves working under conditions that disregard their well-being.”

The biggest point of consternation, Solidarity said, is the forced implementation of a new algorithm-driven rostering system.

“While the technology promised efficiency, the reality has been brutal: minimal rest, erratic schedules, and zero regard for basic human needs. The pilots asked for one weekend off a month. The response? ‘ The algorithm doesn’t like rules’ 

“This is the kind of cold logic we are up against. But aviation is not a factory. Pilots are not products of a shift system. We are human beings responsible for hundreds of lives at a time. Predictability, rest, and mental well-being are not luxuries – they are necessities. And they are being stripped away,” the statement read.

Solidarity also sought to clarify the widespread claims that the pilots earn R1.8 million to R2.4 million, stating that those figures only apply to a small number of senior captains. Most earn significantly less, the union said, and at FlySafair salaries have not returned to pre-Covid levels, despite promises made during the crisis.

FlySafair claims its pilots fly an average of 63 hours per month, but Solidarity says many line pilots fly 85 to over 100 hours per month, and that excludes standby periods or training, which often exceed 180 hours of total duty per month. This is close to the legal maximum of 200.

The union also claims that FlySafair has obtained a legal dispensation to fly pilots up to 120 hours per month, which it says is unacceptable in a safety-critical industry. It also said pilots are sometimes denied leave due to staff shortages, and rostered for back-to-back duties that disrupt sleep cycles and family time.

“We accepted hardship during Covid. We accepted pay cuts. We waited, believing that once the airline recovered, our sacrifices would be recognised. The airline did recover. FlySafair has become one of South Africa’s most successful carriers, flying up to 190 flights a day, with high load factors and strong market share. As pilots we can be proud to have played a part in that success. But our working conditions have not improved,” the statement explained.

With regard to the rostering system, FlySafair told IOL that the fixed scheduling rules that pilots were demanding would substantially limit the airline’s ability to roster pilots efficiently.

FlySafair said its new system, which is standard across the global airline industry, allowed pilots to receive their full monthly rosters by the 20th of the preceding month, enabling personal planning and scheduling. It said the system also included a structured marketplace to facilitate duty swaps.

The carrier said that as an alternative, it had proposed the formation of an independently chaired joint roster committee, featuring both pilot and company representatives. This body, it said, would have the power to test and refine proposed scheduling rules in a live environment before implementation.

“We had hoped that our proposal which was designed to give pilots a meaningful say in shaping their roster parameters would be well received,” said Kirby Gordon, Chief Marketing Officer at FlySafair. “We’re disappointed that Solidarity has chosen not to pursue this collaborative approach.”

However, Solidarity said it believes that such a committee, as proposed by the airline, would not give the pilots sufficient power in the process.

FlySafair said on Monday that it continues to operate a “stable but reduced” flight schedule as the new week begins, with more pilots returning to duty each day.

Cape Times