JOHANNESBURG, Aug 15 (Reuters) - A South African rail workers' union said on Saturday its members would strike next week if the state operator did not restart wage talks, the latest in a wave of industrial action in Africa's biggest economy.
The United Transport and Allied Union (UTATU) said a commuter rail strike seemed unavoidable after operator Metrorail broke off talks and agreed a pay deal with the larger South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU).
A series of strikes and strike threats in the past few weeks has led to several above-inflation settlements in South Africa, including agreements in the gold and coal industries.
State power firm Eskom said on Thursday it had reached an agreement with unions over pay and a housing policy, averting a strike that could have led to power cuts and hurt the economy.
The unions helped propel President Jacob Zuma to power and want him to spend more on the poor, a policy that could be economically risky during a recession [ID:nLB231586]. Zuma said this week there was no "pandering" to labour.
UTATU said in a statement it was on the verge of agreeing a 9.5 percent pay deal with Metrorail when the operator broke off talks to broker an 8 percent agreement with SATAWU. It said that while SATAWU was the larger union, most drivers and technicians are members of UTATU, so a strike could cripple the rail system.
The union said it was pressing for a bigger wage increase after higher settlements in other sectors. The government gave council workers a 13 percent pay rise on July 31, nearly double the inflation rate of 6.9 percent for June.
No one at Metrorail could immediately be reached for comment. (Reporting by Rebecca Harrison; Editing by Richard Williams)