Thousands of South African public sector workers staged peaceful protests over pay today as trade union leaders threatened to bring the country to a standstill.
Unions have threatened indefinite strike action by up to one million workers if the government still refuses to increase salaries by 12 per cent by May 31st, raising the prospect that Africa's biggest economy could suffer from mass action.
Police in the legislative capital Cape Town estimated 12,000 public service workers gathered outside parliament. One union said the national turnout was more than 350,000.
"This is notice of very serious and militant actions by the workers of our country unless government moves . . . there will be problems," said Willie Madisha, president of powerful trade union federation Cosatu. "We are not baboons, we cannot be given peanuts."
At least 5,000 workers protested outside the country's main government building in the South African capital of Pretoria.
Government and union officials have said they would resume talks on Monday in a bid to resolve the dispute.
Cosatu has the numbers to paralyse major cities. Its eight affiliated public sector unions make up about 60 per cent of public service employees including doctors, police and teachers.
Possible mass strikes worry central bank governor Tito Mboweni. This week he said wage increases above the top end of the bank's 3-6 per cent inflation target could spark further price increases in the economy and force interest rates higher.