South Africa's public sector unions are threatening to strike during the World Cup because of a wage dispute.
The unions, which represent some 1.2 million workers, issued the threat on Thursday after rejecting the government's latest wage offer.
A strike would put nurses and police officers off the job as South Africa hosts one of the world's biggest sporting events.
Manie de Clerq, head of the Public Servants Association, says a strike may also include immigration officials, who may be needed to help World Cup tourists.
Other South African unions have taken advantage of the World Cup to demand and receive significant pay increases.
Most recently, port and railroad workers received an 11 percent wage hike after a three-week strike.
The public sector unions are demanding an 8.5 percent pay increase. The government has offered 6.2 percent.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
