Suffering a loss of real incomes over the last five years, members of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) picketed the corporate office of South Africa’s largest defense industry, demanding wage hike and reinstatement of benefits.

After a year of ongoing crisis, Peoples Dispatch looks back on some of the most important labor struggles of this past year.

The sale of the restructured South Africa Airways (SAA) to a private consortium at an undisclosed price may provoke further labor unrest. The workers are already angry at the impending dismissal of 225 more workers

The farmers in India are demanding the withdrawal of three recently passed laws that will affect the prices they get for the produce and which they fear will lead to greater corporate entry into agriculture.

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

Emirates president Tim Clark said that nearly 15% of the 60,000 staff would be laid off due to the pandemic-induced economic crisis. He said that already, a tenth had lost their jobs

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

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

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