The Strike

It seems appropriate for a blog entitled World Cup Quest to begin by addressing a rather important question: Will there be a World Cup 2010?

(Sorry for the sensationalism there- it sells supposedly.)Of course the answer is yes, Sepp Blatter and friends wouldn't let that much cash just slip away; yet the prospect of prolonged strike that endangers completion of South African World Cup Stadiums is still worrying.

The strike is now in its' fifth day, with a Tuesday deadline being set for workers to accept the new offer of a 11.5 wage increase. Workers are said to be holding out for 13 percent.

A devil's advocate would point out that similar strikes occured prior to the Athens Olympic games in 2004 and World Cup 2006 in Germany. In reality, it may be a good negotiation strategy for a workers union to stage a strike before a huge world event, as the embarassment of failing to be ready may be worse than having to pony up whatever increase workers are asking for. As a friend recently pointed out, in light of some workers making just $1.50 a day, perhaps FIFA could step in and pay the workers. With the cash in FIFA's coffers, could financing an extra 50 cents or so per worker really hurt them that much, if the reward is a completed World Cup?

In all likelihood, this strike will turn out much like those of Germany and Greece before it, yet this may be different, because as Danny Archer says in Blood Diamond, "TIA, This is Africa."