Unions struggle for the revival of South African Airways, while the government and private creditors merely disagree over the timing of its liquidation 

Sector has 907 active cases of the novel coronavirus; country is ranked 19th in the world for infections

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 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”

The company’s management has gone to court seeking an urgent interdict against the industrial action called by NUMSA. The union’s general secretary Irvin Jim said “We reject their attempts to blackmail workers into accepting reduced wages”

Three major unions have offered to take up to 49% pay cut for the next two months due to the financial distress at South African Airways, while Business Rescue Practitioners have allegedly rejected the unions’ offer and recommended the winding down of the airlines

60 workers were turned away by the company as the permitted capacity was exceeded. They are now stuck in overcrowded, unsanitary hostels with no way to get home

Excellerate Services, owner of South Africa’s largest private security company, has failed to pay its workers’ outstanding wages while forcing them to work without PPEs, sanitizers and other protective measures, as per the union

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 protests were organized by the Young Nurses Indaba Trade Union. Other demands included the immediate and periodic testing of all healthcare workers and compulsory, conducive, decent and habitable accommodation for essential staff

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