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The labour department says the number of strikes last year in South Africa hit a five-year high.
Director-general, Nkosinathi Nhleko says a total of 99 strikes were recorded in 2012, close to half of them unprotected or illegal strikes, and many of them characterised by violence.
Tabling the latest Industrial Action Report, which covers the 2012 calendar year, he said strikes over the period involved more than 240 000 workers, cost the economy 3.3 million working days, and resulted in workers losing R6.6 billion in wages.
Nhleko said the trend was continuing into this year.
