| Strike halts South Africa |
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| World Affairs Talk | |
| Thursday, 14 June 2007 | |
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Workers under the government’s pay roll are protesting across the country in demand over a 12% pay raise. Bus and train services refused collections and court sittings halted as the unions staged a massive show of strength with marches through the centre of the country's main cities. The government had to bring in Army medical staffs to provide care in some of the hospitals to try and cover the biggest strikes in the country's history. Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota said at Kafalong Hospital in Pretoria that, there is some dissatisfaction here and there but that does not mean the country grind to a standstill. He made this comment while Army soldiers with bullet-proof vests and automatic rifles took up positions outside the gates of the Kafalong Hospital. Apart from this, over 2,500 soldiers were sent to different flashpoints across the country where striking civil servants have all but paralysed key social services since walking off the job on June 1. Tens of thousands of union members chose to stay away from workplace in cities such as Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town. Medical workers have joined the public sector strike, even though as "essential workers," they are legally barred from going on strike. The government has said striking medical workers would be fired, and dismissals have been announced at some hospitals. There has been a growing list of attacks on teachers and health workers who have not been taking part in the strike. The government has offered a 7.25 percent pay hike, but public sector unions have held fast to a demand for 12 per cent. The unions who were traditional allies of the ANC during the long fight against apartheid are now vocal critics of President Thabo Mbeki's government. The powerful COSATU labour federation, which includes a number of civil service unions said, it was urging all of its one million members to prepare for a general sympathy strike to push labour's demands. Miners and municipal workers are also considering to join the dispute. South Africa has seen many qualified health professionals leaving the country for greener pastures abroad in recent years. Share & Bookmark             |
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| Last Updated ( Saturday, 16 June 2007 ) |
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