SOUTH AFRICA: PUBLIC SERVICE STRIKE CONTNUES.

Record ID: 341944

  • Title: SOUTH AFRICA: PUBLIC SERVICE STRIKE CONTNUES.
  • Date: 30th July 1999
  • Summary: PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA (JULY 30, 1999) (REUTERS-ACCESS ALL) 1. CU/TILT/GV: STRIKERS MARCHING, CHANTING AND DANCING (2 SHOTS) 0.14 2. MCU: POSTERS BEARING STRIKERS' DEMANDS 0.20 3. GV/MV/CU: MORE OF MARCHERS CHANTING AND DANCING/ POLICE WATCHING (13 SHOTS) 1.34 4. CU: SOUNDBITE (English) MARCHER: "The reason for this march is the money or 10 percent we ask from our father, that is the government." 1.42 5. LV: STRIKING WORKERS 1.45 6. CU: SOUNDBITE (Engish) ANOTHER MARCHER: "The government, they don't want to give us 10 percent." 1.49 7. GV: POLICE ON HORSEBACK WATCHING MARCHERS 1.59 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 14th August 1999 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA
  • Country: South Africa
  • Reuters ID: LVA9SS53ZE71DCUWBL4Y6BI4ZP38
  • Story Text: Thousands of striking public service workers have
    marched through the streets of Pretoria, demanding wage increases
    in what is seen as the biggest challenge to South African
    President Thabo Mbeki's six-week old administration.

    South African public sector staff took to the streets
    on Friday (July 30), joining the biggest post-apartheid labour
    challenge to the government and threatening tougher action next
    week if their wage demadns are not met.

    Union officials estimated that about 300,000 teachers,
    health care workers and police and prisons staff participated
    in a wage strike on Thursday.

    Public sector workers affiliated to the powerful Congress of
    South African Trade Unions are demanding a 10 percent increase
    for all staff, which would cost the government about seven
    billion rand (1.15 billion United States dollars) a year.

    The government has offered increases of between 6.2 percent
    and 6.8 percent, worth 3.2 billion rand a year to different
    categories of public sector workers.

    Political analysts have described the strike just six weeks
    after Thabo Mbeki succeeded Nelson Mandela as president as a
    challenge to the government's commitment to fiscal discipline.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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