Zulu King calls on government to intervene in strike

By Lelethu Mquqo
29 August 2010

Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini has called on government and unions to safeguard the country's image by ending the public sector strike.

Zwelithini says in a statement that South Africa came out of the World Cup with a positive image, only for it to be stained by the industrial action.

The King adds that the strike is threatening to cripple the education and health sectors, which are both vital to the functioning of the country.

More than a million public servants are participating in a nationwide strike for an eight-point-six-percent salary increase and a thousand-Rands monthly housing allowance.

Meanwhile, Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi says the trade union federation is compiling a report on the salaries and working conditions of the local labour force, compared to that of their employers.

Vavi addressed members of the National Union of Metalworkers who marched through Sandton, Johannesburg yesterday.

Numsa members who work in the tyre manufacturing and motor industry are demanding a 15-percent increase.

Vavi says Cosatu will use the report to show how vast the wage inequality is in South Africa.
He adds that workers should know how much captains of industry are taking home.