The South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) says proposed minimum pay of R20 an hour or R3,500 a month will entrench "the apartheid wage structure" while amendments to the Labour Relations Act will limit the right of workers to strike. Saftu says a living wage should be about R12,500 a month. Members of the country’s second-largest union federation marched to Parliament on Thursday to defend the "workers’ right to strike" and to "fight for a living wage". The union federation is opposed to the implementation of amendments to the Labour Relations Act that would require unions to ballot their members before a strike. The proposed amendments should be sent back to the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) for review and Saftu was demanding it be given a seat at the council, it said. Saftu is unhappy about the value-added tax (VAT) increase, saying the tax hike would worsen inequality and poverty. It has vowed to bring the economy to its knees if the governm...
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