More than 70,000 construction workers have returned to their jobsites in South Africa, where a week-long strike delayed work at many of the country’s World Cup stadiums and a key, high-speed rail line.
Lesiba Seshoka, speaking on behalf of the National Union of Mineworkers that represented the laborers, said, “The strike is over. We got a good offer.”
That offer includes a 12% wage increase, effective immediately, and does bar the workers from striking again. Employers had opened negotiations with a proposed increase of 10%, and the union countered with a 13% demand. The settlement represents a clear victory for South Africa’s laborers, many of who earn less than $100 per month.
On Tuesday, hundreds of workers staged a protest at Soweto’s Soccer City—the site of the 2010 World Cup final.
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