Johannesburg - Thousands of municipal workers took to the streets on Monday to demand better pay, harassing hawkers, emptying refuse bins in streets and leaving South Africans with minimal services.
"We would appear to have huge support," said Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) spokesperson Patrick Craven.
"We hope that the employers will have noticed it and come back to the negotiating table as soon as possible."
Unions representing 150 000 people have a long list of demands, saying workers are struggling to cope as inflation peaked at 13.7% last year.
Three people were injured when the police fired rubber bullets at disorderly protesters in Polokwane, Limpopo police said.
Public order police were deployed in several cities to keep an eye on protesters, including Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban where marches proceeded peacefully.
Emergency services workers, dressed in uniform, were among those marching in Johannesburg, where a protester waved a placard, stating: "Essentialise my salary, I will essentialise your service."
In Pretoria, union officials stepped in and prevented some marchers from stealing from hawkers next to the road.
Protesters also emptied refuse bins in the streets, causing the police to use a water cannon to disperse them.
The ruling African National Congress condemned the action by some workers.
Joburg clinics closed
"We firmly believe that the municipal strike, which has resulted in the thrashing [sic] of streets by striking workers, can only be resolved through negotiations," the ANC said in a statement.
"No form of disorder or violence can resolve any wage dispute other than through negotiating forums like bargaining chambers."
The opposition Democratic Alliance reported that several clinics were closed in and around Johannesburg.
"This must involve some intimidation as most nurses are not Samwu [SA Municipal Workers' Union] members," said DA spokesperson Jack Bloom.
The provincial health department did not respond to questions by Sapa on Bloom's statement.
Meanwhile, the SA Local Government Association (Salga) called on unions to return to the negotiating table, saying it had already "significantly" upped its wage offer from 10.5% to 13%.
"Salga believes that negotiations are the most preferred vehicle to nurture industrial action since this is a critical prerequisite for quality service delivery and development," Salga executive director of labour relations, Mzwanele Yawa, said.
Yawa said he would only be able to say at the end of the day how many workers participated in the strike.
Samwu and the Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union (Imatu) are demanding a 15% or R2 500 wage increase, whichever was greater.
The unions also want a minimum wage of R5 000 per month, a 70% housing loan assistance for a bond up to R300 000 and the filling of all vacant posts at municipalities by no later than January 2010.
Workers said their demands were necessary to combat inflation.
A City Power employee in Johannesburg, Simon Mudzanai, said he had been working for City Power for 37 years and still only made R5 000 a month.
No buses
"Eskom is getting 31% and we are only looking for half that," said Mudzanai, referring to the National Energy Regulator of SA's granting Eskom a 31.3% tariff hike in June.
Bus commuters were probably the most affected by the strike action.
While municipalities promised to continue delivering essential services, bus commuters were told to make alternative transport arrangements, since drivers employed by Metrobus, which transports about 90 000 passengers daily, were members of Samwu.
"We had to take a taxi... I did not see any buses this morning," said Wits student Terisha Rampersadh.
"I saw school children stranded," she added.
While the unions' national leaders were still counting the number of striking workers by 2pm, KwaZulu-Natal provincial union authorities reported a 90% participation in the strike.
Also on Monday, the Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood and Allied Workers Union continued with its week-long strike in the chemical, pharmaceutical and paper industries and marched to the offices of Sappi paper company in Johannesburg with a list of demands.
But train commuters can heave a sigh of relief since a strike that could have left 1.5 million people stranded, seems to have been averted.
The SA Transport and Allied Workers' Union and the United Transport and Allied Trade Union halted planned strike action for Tuesday after the Passenger Rail Agency of SA tabled a new wage offer of eight percent, up from seven percent.
The unions demanded 9% but said it would suspend the strike to take the latest offer back to members for feedback this week.
- Sapa