afrol News, 28 July - The South African Local Government Association (SALGA) has revised upwards its wage increase offer to municipal workers in a bid to end the nationwide strike that started Monday.

SALGA reported it has upped its offer from 10.5 percent to 13 percent.

"There has been a significant movement by SALGA from a 10.5 percent to 13 percent offer from 1 July 2009 to 30 June 2010 in an attempt to finalise and reach wage settlement," the employers’ body said in a statement yesterday.

Thousands of municipal workers started their strike yesterday with services such as buses, refuse removal as well as vehicle licensing centres said to have been severely affected.

The workers were expected to continue with their planned marches today while the unions sought out their response on the latest offer.

The strike by the Metrorail workers was reportedly suspended after a new wage offer was tabled, avoiding a further hit on train users in the major metropolitan areas like Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town.

Last year, the municipal workers in South Africa went on strikes that lasted nearly three weeks, leaving most of the cities and towns with piles of refuse lining the streets.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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