ALMOST 4_000 municipal workers in Mpumalanga on Wednesday marched on the South African Local Government Association (Salga) to demand a 10% wage increase. SA Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) demonstrators also briefly picketed Salgas regional headquarters in Nelspruit to demand a minimum wage of R2_000 for all municipal workers countrywide, in addition to an across-the-board 10% wage increase. Salga, a municipal employer organisation, is currently offering a five percent wage increase and implements a R1_600 minimum wage guide. The two bodies have been locked in negotiations since March 8 but have failed to reach settlement, sparking demonstrations in other provincial capitals. Pointing to a recent study by the University of South Africas Bureau for Market Research, Samwus Mpumalanga secretary Steve Sihlangu said families need R1_900 per month just to survive.