2007年VOA标准英语-S. African Public Service Unions End Walkout

By Scott Bobb
Johannesburg
28 June 2007

In South Africa, one the longest strikes since the end of apartheid has ended. Unions representing workers in public schools, hospitals and government offices said they would accept a government package of wage and benefit increases and return to work. VOA's Scott Bobb reports from Johannesburg.

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South African civil servants protest outside the Red Cross children's hospital during the first day of a national public service strike in Cape Town, 01 June 2007

Unions representing hundreds of thousands of public service workers say they have unanimously agreed to call off their four-week old strike.

The agreement came after a lengthy² meeting Wednesday night.

The head of the Confederation of South African Trade Unions, Willie Madisha, said afterwards that COSATU pressed for a better offer from the government, but that the 19 unions in the confederation achieved some major goals.

"The best thing that we have done, in particular the COSATU unions, we have been able to unite them and keep them in the strike action for three weeks," said Madisha. "That's one major victory."

The strike, one of the longest since the end of apartheid 13 years ago, closed most schools and crippled public hospitals across the country.

The unions originally sought a 12 percent increase in wages but lowered their demand to nine percent during the weeks of negotiations³.

The government, which first offered an increase of six percent, last week made a final offer of 7.5 percent and said it was ending the negotiations. The offer included increases in various benefits.

Most unions said they will sign the agreement. But the largest teachers union (South Africa Democratic Teachers Union-SADTU) said it is suspending its strike but will continue to negotiate with the government.

The strike embarrassed the ruling African National Congress as it convened⁴ a major policy congress to prepare its platform for elections in two years.

ANC leaders acknowledged that progress toward eliminating poverty has been slow. But President Thabo Mbeki, in his opening speech, said it was unreasonable⁵ to expect to redress⁶ the inequities of 350 years of colonialism and apartheid in only 13 years.

1 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

2 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。

3 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

4 convened   

召开( convene的过去式 )； 召集； （为正式会议而）聚集； 集合

参考例句：

• The chairman convened the committee to put the issue to a vote. 主席召集委员们开会对这个问题进行表决。
• The governor convened his troops to put down the revolt. 总督召集他的部队去镇压叛乱。

5 unreasonable   

adj.不讲道理的，不合情理的，过度的

参考例句：

• I know that they made the most unreasonable demands on you.我知道他们对你提出了最不合理的要求。
• They spend an unreasonable amount of money on clothes.他们花在衣服上的钱太多了。

6 redress   

n.赔偿，救济，矫正；v.纠正，匡正，革除

参考例句：

• He did all that he possibly could to redress the wrongs.他尽了一切努力革除弊端。
• Any man deserves redress if he has been injured unfairly.任何人若蒙受不公平的损害都应获得赔偿。