The National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (Nehawu) said it would continue to meet Parliament's management over the disputed bonus calculations until there was an agreement.

Applauding Nehawu workers' unity, the union's president Mzwandile Makwayiba said they would stay late into Wednesday night, and return again on Thursday if need be.

Parliament's Nehawu members downed tools on November 6 and accused management, led by Secretary Gengezi Mgidlana, of reneging on a March agreement in terms of how bonuses should be structured.

After a morning of singing and picketing, Makwayiba arrived to address the striking workers, who were locked out of the precinct for the day.

He also used the opportunity to hit out at the media.

"I have a particular problem with the media of SA," said Makwayiba.

"That's one message we want to tell media. Please don't twist our statement. You probably don't like Zuma. He is our president, selected by us."

Some of the workers heartily agreed, but others started talking amongst themselves, clicking their tongues in annoyance at him going off topic.

Makwayiba said Nehawu members were not striking because they were in a country run by Zuma, but because they lived in a capitalist country where workers had to fight.

In a shift from the accommodating attitude towards the media during the strike, he said he also wanted to "limit our friends called media into our affairs".

He did not specify which journalists were twisting statements.

Earlier on Wednesday, Parliament opted to lock out striking Nehawu members in a bid to stop further disruptions to the last sittings of the year.

Nehawu's chairperson in Parliament, Sthembiso Tembe, asked workers to go home and return on Thursday for further news.

News24.com