Thousands march for SA pay rise

South Africa's unions want the government to ease poverty

Tens of thousands of South African workers are marching through cities across the country to demand pay rises.

Unions say 30,000 people have taken to the streets in the town of Nelspruit alone, although there is no independent confirmation of this figure.

The unions want a 12% increase for all public sector workers, while the government has offered 6% to everyone, with more for teachers and nurses.

The unions are threatening to call a general strike next Friday, 1 June.

The government has said it is ready to hold further talks on Monday.

Police say 12,000 workers gathered outside parliament in Cape Town.

"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 the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), which has more than 1m members.

"We are not baboons, we cannot be given peanuts."

Cosatu spokesman Patrick Craven said the government claimed South Africa's economy was booming and tax receipts were rising, so it could afford a pay rise of more than 6%.

I don't think the message has got out to grass-roots teachers Kenny Govender Government negotiator How the unions fell out with the ANC

South Africa's inflation rate has risen to 5.5%.

"The [ruling party] ANC seems to have lost touch with the people they represented through the anti-apartheid years," he told the BBC.

"Lots of well qualified people like teachers and nurses are leaving the country, yet the government still refuses to improve their pay and conditions."

Chief government negotiator Kenny Govender told the BBC that the government's offer included pay rises of 15-40% for teachers and nurses.

But he said if all public sector workers were given a 12% rise, there would be less for teachers and nurses.

"I don't think the message has got out to grass-roots teachers," he said.

Cosatu is officially part of a governing alliance but the unions have become increasingly critical of the government, which they accuse of not doing enough to relieve poverty.