Nearly 190,000 South African striking steel workers will march in major cities across the country on July 12 to protest against wage increases that failed to meet their demands, union officials said on Monday. Talks with employers covering 310,000 workers in the industry deadlocked last week and the unions issued a 48-hour strike notice, but had not given a date for any action. "The marches will take place in major cities of the country," Dumisa Ntuli, spokesman for the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA), which represents about 180,000 members, said in a statement, according to Reuters. "What is necessary now is to use our collective power to strike for good wages. The four-day wage negotiations last week could not produce the desired results." Trade union Solidarity, which represents about 12,000 workers, was also involved in the wage negotiations and said last week that it was seeking to act with NUMSA. Employers offered 5 percent and 6 percent wage increases for two categories of workers, while the union had demanded a 6 percent and 7 percent rise, down from an earlier demand of 6.5 percent and 7.5 percent. --More 2323 Local Time 2023 GMT
