Strikes began last week and saw clashes between protesters and police
South African civil servants are marching across the country over a wage dispute, with more than one million people expected to participate in strikes.
Labour unions planned the action on Thursday as part of continued pressure on the government to agree to improved pay terms and benefits.
Around 1.3 million state workers have been on strike since Wednesday last week, picketing outside schools, hospitals and government offices.
A day after they began, the strikes became violent when police used rubber bullets and water cannons against teachers and other civil servants, who threw stones and bricks at them when trying to enter a hospital in Johannesburg.
The unions have set a deadline of September 2 for the government to provide a 8.6 per cent rise in salaries and a 1,000 rand ($138) monthly housing allowance, otherwise more state workers are slated to join the strikes.
The South African government is offering a seven per cent pay hike and 630 rand for housing.
Government services and the economy have already been disrupting by the strikes.
Patients affected
Doctors and activists warned on Wednesday that HIV and Aids patients are not receiving treatment because of the nationwide strike. An estimated 5.7 million people are living with HIV and Aids in South Africa, more than any other country.
One doctor, Ashraf Coovadia, said that his HIV/Aids clinic at a Johannesburg government hospital is receiving 20 to 30 patients whereas normally the figure would be 60 to 80.
He said that clinic staff have been calling patients to urge them to come in.
Patients typically receive three-month batches of drugs. They can develop drug resistance if they miss a few days of medication.
Coovadia said that people may fear encountering violence at state hospitals or think that they have been closed by the strikes.
He added that he has had to negotiate with strikers and security guards to ensure patients can enter the clinic safely.
"The situation is quite volatile," he said.
Under pressure
Coppied by http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2010/08/20108265325707917.html
