USHAKA Marine World will be fully operational during a planned strike by its workers, the theme park's chief operating officer said yesterday.

"We have a contingency plan in place. We ask the people who are taking part in the strike to respect the park during the time of the strike," Shawn Thompson said.

He said uShaka had received notification of today's industrial action and was doing everything it could to avoid it.

"We are doing everything in our power to avoid the strike. The company's budget cannot afford what the unions are demanding."

He said the unions wanted an 8,5 percent increase. Management was offering 7,5 percent.

Thompson said the park's "Wet and Wild" section would be closed for routine maintenance, which had nothing to do with the strike.

Trade union Uasa, which says it is the majority union at uShaka, earlier announced it would go on a protected strike on Thursday.

"The decision to go on strike is not taken lightly, as Uasa realises that the aquarium at uShaka is the largest in the Southern Hemisphere and requires dedicated care and attention to the marine life it accommodates," Uasa's Gerhard Ueckermann said in a statement.

Uasa was, however, concerned about the well-being of its members, who deserved a respectable and market-related income, he said.