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South Africa’s municipal workers on wage strike

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JOHANNESBURG — At least 145 000 South African municipal (Samwu) workers were to walk off the job yesterday in a strike aimed at shutting down services including garbage collection, in the latest dispute to disrupt Africa’s biggest economy. The stoppage will extend South Africa’s “strike season” — which has already hit the mining and fuel […]

JOHANNESBURG — At least 145 000 South African municipal (Samwu) workers were to walk off the job yesterday in a strike aimed at shutting down services including garbage collection, in the latest dispute to disrupt Africa’s biggest economy.

The stoppage will extend South Africa’s “strike season” — which has already hit the mining and fuel sectors — threatening to curb growth and damage a stagnant economy.

“Our demand of an 18% increase across the board, or 2 000 rand — whichever is greater — is very necessary to meet the economic hardships that municipal workers suffer,” the Samwu union said in its strike pamphlet.

Employers have offered a 6,08% wage increase. The union’s 18% demand — nearly four times inflation — is meant to make up for spiralling costs of food and fuel, the labour group has said.

Previous Samwu strikes have led to garbage piling up in city streets and slower repairs of broken water pipes.

The South African Local Government Association said the union’s demands were unreasonable. “If this demand is to be met, the impact thereof will have to be passed on to local communities,” it said in a newspaper advert on Sunday.

Recent weeks have seen South Africa’s annual mid-year wage bargaining session. Coal, gold and diamond miners and petrolem sector workers have returned to work after strikes.

There are outstanding disputes at the world’s top two platinum producers, Anglo American Platinum and Impala Platinum (Implats). Talks are set to resume this week.

The National Union of Mineworkers said on Saturday Implats had improved its pay rise offer to between eight and 10%, but the labour group was still holding out for a double-digit increase for all its members at the company.

The union will consult its members on the revised offer before taking a decision, it said. —Reuters