JOHANNESBURG – Unions representing more than 1 million South Africa state workers said yesterday they had reached a deal on increased wages with the government to avert a mass strike that could have slowed Africa’s largest economy.
But while the negotiating session known as “strike season” is winding down, striking municipal workers set fire to rubbish heaps in Cape Town and looted roadside stands. Strike season stoppages in mining and fuel have caused more than $200 million in lost output. – (Reuters)