SA public sector strikes

JOHANNESBURG – Thousands of South African public servants started a one-day strike yesterday in a wage dispute with the government, union officials said.

“I can confirm that the strike has started,” said Anton Louwrens, general secretary of the Public Service Association. The strike, called by unions who represent up to a million public sector workers, is tipped as the biggest public sector action the country has seen since 1999 when an estimated 400 000 people went on strike.Unions have rejected an improved three-year government wage and benefits package.Protest marches will take place across the country, with striking workers due to march on parliament in Cape Town and to Pretoria’s Union Buildings, which houses president Thabo Mbeki’s office and that of other government ministers.- Nampa-ReutersThe strike, called by unions who represent up to a million public sector workers, is tipped as the biggest public sector action the country has seen since 1999 when an estimated 400 000 people went on strike.Unions have rejected an improved three-year government wage and benefits package.Protest marches will take place across the country, with striking workers due to march on parliament in Cape Town and to Pretoria’s Union Buildings, which houses president Thabo Mbeki’s office and that of other government ministers.- Nampa-Reuters