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| Africa Subsaharan |
| Striking guards trash Cape Town |
| 2006-05-17 |
| Striking security guards rampaged through Cape Town on Tuesday during a protest linked to a national strike. Cars were vandalised and shops looted in the city centre after a legal protest over wages and work conditions by 5,000 strikers turned violent. Two union leaders were among 39 people arrested and were due to appear in court on Wednesday. Security guards first went on strike in March. One of the unions is holding out for a better wage deal. Protesters smashed shop windows and seized goods from shops and street traders, according to reports from the city. More than 100 cars were vandalised in the city centre. Arrests Most shops in the city centre later closed their doors and vendors were seen packing up their goods and leaving the area. Tony Ehrenreich, provincial secretary of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), and Evan Abrahams of the SA Transport and Allied Workers' Union (Satawu), were among those arrested and held overnight pending a bail hearing. Satawu and 14 other unions first went on strike in March. Satawu resumed the strike in April, and is continuing to demand an 11% pay increase after other unions agreed to a rise of 8.3%. South Africa's security industry has boomed as a result of high crime levels and under-resourced police. Guards typically work long hours in dangerous conditions for minimal wages. Mr. Zuma can fix all this when he's elected president. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #1 Guards typically work long hours in dangerous conditions for minimal wages. Oh, Presidente Fox, I see another 'migrant' opportunity... |
| Posted by: Pappy 2006-05-17 20:31 |