SACCA has issued Mango with a strike notice but the airline says its staff will not participate.

“Mango can confirm that a notification to strike was received from SACCA,” the airline said in a statement.

“We are reaching out to the union as there was a clerical error on the notification.

“However, we’ve been assured by our staff that they are committed to moving Mango forward and will not be participating in the strike.”

Last week prior to this development while at Mango’s offices for an interview with reappointed CEO Nico Bezuidenhout, eTNW overheard staff discussing the pressure SAA union members were putting on Mango employees to join them in a “sympathy strike”, in a show of solidarity.

SAA continues to work with its partners, Mango Airlines, Airlink and SA Express to provide alternative solutions to customers on domestic and select regional routes.

There is a strong culture of family at Mango, Bezuidenhout told eTNW last week when asked about the issue. “We share the same value; that is respect for every staff member from the most junior to the most senior. No one is too big for the small jobs. We have a sense of responsibility towards one another.”

Bezuidenhout is proud of the relationship he shares with staff. “Mango has been my baby since inception. There are many staff that have been part of its growth. In times of crisis, we have rallied. We stand and fall collectively with the company,” he said.

Mango has added up to 20 flights per day to accommodate SAA pax on domestic routes. “When you walk around the airport you see the sky isn’t falling, life continues. Yesterday we achieved 91% on-time performance in spite of the additional service workload,” said Bezuidenhout.