Johannesburg - About 50 South Afican Airways (SAA) ground staff went on an illegal strike at OR Tambo International Airport on Thursday, said a spokesperson for the airline.
"We applied for an urgent court interdict to stop Satawu [SA Transport and Allied Workers' Union] members from embarking on strike action," SAA spokesman Fani Zulu said.
"An interim order was granted now. We are in the process of communicating this to employees and unions," he said.
Zulu said the strike, which was limited only the OR Tambo Airport, had little impact on the airline's services.
"It was quite unfortunate that Satawu engaged on a strike," he said.
"Management went into a meeting today [Thursday] to discuss three issues on the table.
"A false issue was put on the table as a condition which related to the suspension of a Satawu shopsteward... management walked out the meeting," Zulu said.
"Satawu did not follow procedures or internal avenues to engage on issues they had. The matter was not even served at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration."
Zulu said the interim order would make it possible to have proper engagement with all parties.