A one-day strike by South Africa’s main labour federation that stranded commuters and crippled operations at major gold mining companies on Thursday, has also affected the car industry.
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The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), an alliance partner of the ruling African National Congress, called the stay-away to highlight what it says is the government’s poor record on jobs and poverty, according to Reuters.
“South Africa is a middle-income country, but remains one of the highest countries in terms of unemployment,” COSATU General Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi told the SABC national broadcaster.
General Motors South Africa, a cornerstone of the country’s rising automotive sector, told Reuters about 80% of workers at its Port Elizabeth factory had reported for work.
“One of the factors contributing towards this result is that we implemented detailed and specific transport arrangements to enable employees to get to work,” GMSA’s human resources director Jeff McGuire reportedly said.
DaimlerChrysler said it had closed its South African operations for the day after being informed by union leaders that it would be a target of the strike, while Volkswagen South Africa told the news agency its operations were also affected.
