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Bid to halt SA World Cup strike Bid to halt SA World Cup strike
(about 6 hours later)
Mediation efforts are taking place in South Africa in a bid to end a nationwide strike which has halted construction at 2010 World Cup sites. Mediation efforts are under way in South Africa in a bid to end a national strike which has brought construction at 2010 World Cup sites to a halt.
Some 70,000 workers downed tools on Wednesday demanding a 13% pay rise but employers are offering no more than 10. Some 70,000 workers downed tools on Wednesday demanding a 13% pay rise but employers are only offering 10%.
The labour department is holding talks with the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the SA Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors. Construction companies have described other union demands as "unacceptable".
Organisers say everything will be ready unless the strike last for months. Representatives from the government, unions, companies and the World Cup local organising committee are in talks at a mediation centre in Johannesburg.
On Monday judges rejected a request from the employers to outlaw the strike, which the NUM says will "not end until demands are met". The BBC's Jonah Fisher in Johannesburg says apart from the pay rise, the workers want their contracts rewritten to include paternity leave - as well as allowances for food and days affected by bad weather.
The strike has affected construction at stadiums, airports and the new railway system Gautrain. The employers say that would increase labour costs by more than 50%.
The head of the 2010 World Cup organising committee, Danny Jordaan earlier told BBC that he was confident that the strike could be resolved soon. South Africa's Talk Radio 702 reports that union bosses have said negotiations are going well but could continue late into Thursday night.
For now, World Cup organisers are staying calm, our reporter says. Organisers expect stadiums to be completed in December, months before the first game in June 2010.
However, Gautrain, Gauteng province's new high speed rail link, is likely to be affected if an agreement is not reached soon. It is due to be completed just two weeks before the tournament starts.
On Monday, a court ruled in favour of the unions during a case brought by construction company Murray and Roberts to have the strike declared illegal.