Johannesburg - Wage talks between transport workers and their employers ended without agreement at 9.45pm on Tuesday, the first day of a strike by thousands of drivers.

"But we have agreed to continue talks again tomorrow at 9am," said Road Freight Employers' Association (RFEA) labour relations manager Magretia Brown.

"I suppose that we're still talking is a positive thing in itself," she said.

Brown said that while progress was being made on some issues, it was not on others. "At least we're still talking".

Randall Howard, general secretary of the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu), said the union is demanding a 13% wage increase, four months' paid maternity leave and a job guarantee on return to work, while employers are offering an 11% wage hike.

Howard said all the union's 30 000 members were participating in the strike, which was expected to hit South African fuel supplies, as truck drivers transporting fuel also stopped work. The strike started on Tuesday.

Reggie Sibiya, chief executive of the Fuel Retailers Association, which represents all the major fuel companies, said there had been no major impact on Tuesday, "just isolated incidences of non-deliveries".

"The first test really is going to be tonight because most of the deliveries for major oil companies take place at night and we'll get feedback on that tomorrow."

Sibiya said fuel stations normally had enough stock to last 2-3 days, therefore any major impact on fuel supplies would only be felt on Thursday. "That will be when many people are starting to pack up for Easter," he said.

- Sapa and Reuters