A historic general strike was held in numerous cities and towns across South Africa on October 7 against corruption, job losses, govt failures during the pandemic, and its refusal to honor the wage agreement it had signed with public servants.

The strike was called by the Congress of South African Trade Unions and was joined by the South African Federation of Trade Unions and other organizations. It may set the stage for a new phase of working class unity

COSATU, which has called for a national strike on October 7, is a traditional ally of the ruling African National Congress. The strike raises questions about the future of this alliance

The strike has been called by the Congress of South African Trade Unions, the largest trade union confederation in the country and a traditional ally of the ruling ANC. The union now says the ANC has betrayed the working class

A union of educators in South Africa is taking the education minister to court over the hasty reopening of schools while parents hold protests

Business associations claim that health and safety protocols will be followed, but unions point to previous violations which resulted in a further spread of the epidemic

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

After five workers tested positive for COVID-19 at Clover Industries’ Bloemfontein plant, members of the General Industries Workers Union of South Africa (GIWUSA) forced the unit to close down production and called for nationalization

We also look into the hunger strike by Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli jails and the march by trade unions in South Africa against the 2nd annual Investment Summit in Johannesburg.

Trade unions argue that the summit only raises false hopes of economic revival and demanded that the government, instead, take concrete steps like doubling the corporate tax, setting capital controls and increasing public and social expenditure