TimesLive reports that the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) department of education has found itself at odds with trade union federation Cosatu by threatening to withhold pay for teachers who participated in the national shutdown on Wednesday.  

When the action was announced, Cosatu encouraged its members, which include the SA Democratic Teachers' Union (Sadtu) and the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), to take part in the protected strike and down tools.  "Therefore, workers are encouraged to participate in this strike, since no employee will be disciplined for partaking in a protected strike," Cosatu said.  Education department spokesman Kwazi Mthethwa stated:  "We respect the constitutional right of any labour union to participate in a legal and protected strike.  The sad reality is that there's a sizeable number of schools that have been affected by the Cosatu strike … We are now left with no choice but to invoke the no-work, no-pay policy."

• A short report by Jeff Wicks is at TimesLive

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