While the employees of Airchefs have not received their salaries since October, those working with SAA Technical have received only part of their salaries for nearly a year and none for March. NUMSA has taken up their case with the authorities

Serious questions of conflict of interest have been raised as the business rescue practitioners ask the ailing airline to pay R250,000 per month to Redford Capital – a consultancy firm of which they themselves are the directors.

The decision of stakeholders to approve a rescue plan for the crisis-ridden South African Airways ensures that it will not get liquidated as was feared earlier. Unions fought a long battle to prevent liquidation

A new agreement between unions and the South African government will see the ailing airline retain 2,000 jobs and offer better terms in the voluntary severance package

Phakamile Hlubi-Majola discusses the struggle being waged by South African trade unions to save the country’s airline and above all, to protect its employees

A meeting of stakeholders was held on June 25 to consider a proposal by the Business Rescue Practitioners to restructure South African Airways. According to this plan, nearly 3,700 of the 4,700 employees may lose their jobs

The Department of Public Enterprises, which had repeatedly assured the unions that the national airline will not be liquidated, came out in support of a so-called “business rescue plan” which will result in its effective liquidation

The airline withheld workers’ salaries for May and the union has argued that the company is using the pandemic as “a cover for the restructuring which is taking place”

A judge the Labor Court in Johannesburg ordered the withdrawal of retrenchment notices affecting around 4,700 employees of South African Airways

The spokesperson of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa said that the real intention behind Comair opting for business rescue could be to continue with its retrenchment plans under the guise of dealing with the lockdown

The crisis facing South African Airways today is due to the failure of the state to fulfill the collective agreements on how to rescue the state company, unions allege

The unions are appealing to a higher court after a labor court ruled against the their application seeking an interdiction against SAA’s decision to close 11 routes. The unions are arguing that it will lead to retrenchments