South Africa strike limps on as unions disagree on new state offer

Sep 2, 2010, 10:45 GMT

Johannesburg - South African striking public servants staged another demonstration Thursday but their reduced numbers revealed divisions over whether to press ahead with their 16-day-old strike.

Only a few hundred workers assembled for the march in central Johannesburg, which was organized by the main labour federation, the Congress of South African Trade Unions. Last week, rallies in Johannesburg and Cape Town drew thousands of people.

Around 1 million teachers, nurses, court officials, immigration workers and other public servants have been on strike since August 18.

On Wednesday evening, COSATU said most of its affiliated unions had rejected the government's latest offer of a 7.5-per-cent pay increase.

The workers have been demanding 8.6 per cent more pay - more than twice the inflation rate of 3.7 per cent.

They also want a 1,000-rand (137-dollar) monthly housing allowance. The government is offering 800 rand (109 dollars).

The largest health union, the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union, is among those to have rejected the offer.

Members of the biggest teachers' union, the South African Democratic Teachers Union, are divided, Business Day newspaper reported.

Between them the two represent around 450,000 workers.

Some smaller unions appear in favour of returning to work to avoid losing more income as government docks the strikers' pay.

President Jacob Zuma's government says there is no money left in government's budget for a further increase and that it will already have to pull funds from other projects to fund its current offer.

The unions have until Friday to give their final decision.

In the absence of nurses, the strike has forced the near-shutdown of public hospitals and cost several patients their lives by fatally delaying their access to care.