Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. Police Fire Rubber Bullets at South Africa Strikers VOA News 19 August 2010 Civil servants on strike to protest for better salary increases take to the streets of Johannesburg, 19 Aug 2010 Photo: AFP Civil servants on strike to protest for better salary increases take to the streets of Johannesburg, 19 Aug 2010 Police in South Africa have fired rubber bullets at striking public workers, on the second day of a work stoppage by more than a million civil servants. The incident happened Thursday in Soweto township, where a crowd had blocked a road outside a hospital and was preventing patients from entering. Police say they used both rubber bullets and water cannon to disperse the crowd. No major injuries were reported. Unions representing 1.3 million teachers, health care workers, and other civil servants went on strike Wednesday, demanding an 8.6 percent pay increase and a higher housing allowance. The South African government says its final offer is a 7 percent pay hike, and that it will begin paying the workers at that rate if no agreement is reached. The government's offer would also increase the housing allowance from $87 to $95 per month. Public Services Minister Richard Baloyi says that under the government's offer, other public services will have to be cut.  Three years ago, public workers staged a crippling strike that shut down many schools and forced some hospitals to operate with minimal staff for several weeks. This latest strike puts pressure on South African President Jacob Zuma, who had strong backing from labor unions during his campaign for president. Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters. .