Latest on security guards strike

Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana has called off public hearings on wages and employment conditions in the security industry. Mdladlana had the final say on what the wage increase for security guards would be, once he had been advised by the Employment Conditions Commission. The Commission was in the process of holding the public hearings. Commenting on his decision to call off the hearings, Mdladlana said the current environment in the industry was unacceptable and would make it difficult to implement wage increases. The hearings began about two months ago and were to take place in all nine provinces. Satawu said on Tuesday it would continue its strike until its demand for an 11 percent increase was met.

Earlier, trade union federation Cosatu said it would discuss the violence-prone security guards' strike at a central executive meeting today. Cosatu secretary in the Western Cape Tony Ehrenreich said there was no room for violent protest in the organisation and if it continues, the perpetrators would be reported to the police.

Meanwhile, police spokesperson superintendent Billy Jones said no official charge had been laid regarding an alleged exchange of shots between striking security guards and their colleagues on duty at Cape Town's Industria airport on Tuesday. Jones said a report of a single shot being fired was received, but nobody could confirm this, with a crowd of about 50 protesters dispersing when police arrived.