South African Airways (SA, Johannesburg O.R. Tambo) may have opened a can of worms by asking a government committee to investigate whether the work of pilots, cabin crew, check-in agents, and ground staff should be classified as "essential services" under South African labour law. If approved, this would restrict the affected employees’ constitutional right to strike.

In a regulatory filing, the Essential Services Committee of the Department of Employment and Labour announced that it was investigating whether services by airline pilots, flight attendants, ground logistical staff (including but not limited to ground crew and cargo agents), and boarding gate agents (check-in agents) are essential.

The probe follows a formal request that SAA submitted in December 2025. The airline's application is "narrowly tailored", it said, and does not seek to classify all commercial aviation services as essential. "This request or application is by intent narrowly tailored and limited only to those services that clearly meet the legal threshold under the Labour Relations Act," it said in its submission.

The request is opposed by the Airline Pilots' Association of South Africa, represented by the South African Airways Pilots' Association, along with the Aviation Professionals Association of South Africa and the National Transport Union.

The Essential Services Committee, which operates under the labour department’s Commission for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration, has begun public hearings in four South African cities. In particular, it is looking at:

  • the operation of aircraft by pilots, including on-board safety and security (including emergency medical care);
  • on-board operational services rendered by cabin crew members, including on-board safety and security (including emergency medical care);
  • services rendered by boarding gate agents, including security at airports;
  • logistical services rendered by ground staff that enable the time-sensitive and secure transportation of cargo, including medical supplies;
  • the urgent transport of medical personnel to perform lifesaving or life-extending medical procedures.