Johannesburg - Thousands of striking municipal workers in South Africa demonstrated over pay in cities across the country for a second day Tuesday.

The protests passed off more peacefully than on Monday when police fired rubber bullets to disperse rowdy protestors, who covered the streets of several cities in rubbish.

The South African Municipal Workers Union, one of two that called the strike, said thousands of people again marched in the cities of Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town and Durban.

Earlier, Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana warned them against acts of violence, which he said would "only harden attitudes." On Monday, several protesters were injured by police rubber bullets and several others arrested for overturning rubbish bins, harassing street vendors and looting their stalls. In Johannesburg, the protestors on Tuesday again littered the streets.

The workers, who number around 200,000 in total, are demanding a 15-per-cent pay increase and a minimum wage of 5,000 rand.

The South African Local Government Association (SALGA), which represents over 200 municipalities across the country, came back to the unions at the weekend with an offer of 13 per cent, an improvement on its previous offer of 11.5 per cent.

The unions were consulting their members on the revised offer Tuesday.

The strike has affected the provision of various basic services, including bus transport, refuse removal and healthcare.

The strike is the latest in a series of strikes and protests in the recession-hit country this winter.

In the last few weeks, workers in the construction and chemicals industries have struck for pay increases of over 10 per cent, despite the country being in recession.

Some analysts have accused the municipal workers of excessive demands, noting that the 15 per cent sought exceeds the inflation rate of 8 per cent and noting that some municipalities are already having trouble making ends meet.

The unions accuse managers of paying themselves "obscene increases" and of wasting public money.

President Jacob Zuma's promised to provide more, better-paid jobs during his campaigning in April elections. That was before the country was confirmed as being in recession for the first time in 17 years.

The mood of discontent has also gripped slums across the country.

Demanding faster delivery of basic services, such as housing and electricity, thousands of slum dwellers have protested, often violently, in recent weeks.