Strikes cost South Africa R6.1 billion in wages last year, 8.5% less than the R6.7bn lost in 2013, despite a record five-month strike in the mining sector.
This according to the Department of Labour Annual Industrial Action report released this week, showing that the manufacturing and mining sectors were the hardest hit.
The number of strike incidents in 2014 decreased to 88 from 114 in 2013 but more working hours were lost in 2014 compared to 2013 as a result of industrial disputes, with hours lost increasing by a whopping 608.6% from 2013 to 2014, according to the report.
By province, North West (46.3%) and Limpopo (37.40%) were the two provinces that were most affected by wages lost due to strikes in 2014.
