20100824
africanews

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's biggest labour federation COSATU on Tuesday threatened to expand a state workers' strike next week to all of its members, which could deal a heavy blow to manufacturing in Africa's largest economy.

A top COSATU official said the expanded strike could take place from next Thursday, once a seven-day strike notice is officially filed.

"This will mean a total shutdown of the public sector until government comes to its senses," the head of COSATU Zwelinzima Vavi told reporters.

Several hundred thousand COSATU members are already taking part in the state workers' strike. Unions representing nearly 2 million labourers, including miners, factory workers and communications workers, are under COSATU'S umbrella.

The government has said it cannot afford the workers' demand of an 8.6 percent wage rise, more than double the inflation rate, and 1,000 rand a month as a housing allowance.

The nearly week-long strike by about 1.3 million state workers that includes nurses, teachers and clerks, has shut schools, delayed treatment at hospitals and the delivery of other services to those who rely on government help.

The strike has already taken a heavy toll on the country's poor, but its economic damage has been limited. One newspaper said it might be costing the country about 1 billion rand a day but there are no official figures on damage.

Some HIV-infected people have been unable to receive the daily cocktail of medication that keeps them alive; pregnant mothers have been turned away from public hospitals and the working poor are having to stay at home to take care of children who would normally be in school.