Organizers calling for no strikes during Africa’s 1st World Cup

World Cup organizers hope for no strikes

JOHANNESBURG — Organizers are calling for no strikes during Africa’s first World Cup, but a powerful union group is making no promises.

Greg Fredericks, a top aide to local organizing committee chief executive Danny Jordaan, said Wednesday committee officials had met this week with COSATU, South Africa’s main union federation.

Fredericks says: “We certainly hope that the strike season will be over” when the World Cup begins. Fredericks was addressing a provincial legislative sports committee.

COSATU spokesman Patrick Craven told The Associated Press workers could not be denied the right to strike if negotiations fail. However, he said “we don’t want to see any strikes during World Cup. We don’t want any strikes at all.”