Nationwide strike in South Africa
Tens of thousands of South African workers have taken to the streets of Johannesburg and other large cities in a strike over unemployment and poverty. Workers carried banners demanding an end to privatization and action to devalue the currency, the Rand. The main umbrella union, Cosatu, claims an overwhelming reponse to the strike, but the South African Chamber of Business says only 10 percent of workers are striking. Stoppages in recent years have been poorly supported, Monday's strike is considered by experts to be a crucial test of the union's power in South Africa.
See "Nationwide strike in South Africa", BBC News, BBC News Online, June 26, 2005