SAFRICA-STRIKE-ECONOMY

Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) Secretary General Zwelinzima Vavi (C) adresses the crowd on the first day of a nationwide strike called by South Africa's National Union of Metalworkers (NUMSA) to demand a pay raise of up to 12 percent and better working conditions, in Johannesburg Central Business District on July 1, 2014. Nearly a quarter of a million members of South Africa's largest union downed tools on July 1, beginning an indefinite strike that threatens to bring the engineering sector to a halt. The strike is expected to hit more than 10,000 metals and engineering firms that account for about four percent of South African economic output, according to economists at Citigroup. AFP PHOTO/MUJAHID SAFODIEN (Photo credit should read MUJAHID SAFODIEN/AFP via Getty Images)