Police Arrest 113 Protesters In Pay Strike

Police arrested 113 people and reportedly used clubs to disperse up to 400 mostly black public service workers who were demonstrating Tuesday during a strike for higher pay.

Union official Daniel Monareng claimed police waded into a crowd of strikers with clubs 20 minutes after warning them to disperse from the street outside government offices. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

Soldiers watched as police broke up the protest.

Police spokesman Col. Andrew Lesch said the strikers were demonstrating without a permit. He said police arrested 113, warned them against future illegal strikes and released them.

President Nelson Mandela’s government, elected in the nation’s first allrace election in April, faces protests from labor groups who want immediate rewards for supporting his African National Congress.