Johannesburg travellers have been advised to leave early for OR Tambo International Airport to avoid being caught up in traffic delays caused by a national strike.

On Wednesday unions will take to the streets to protest the national minimum wage and amendments to the labour law. The South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) and affiliates called for the strike.

Airport officials warned that the labour action could affect commuters.

“As this is a national strike‚ there is some potential impact on road transport. This could have an impact on the time it takes to travel to the airport. We would advise passengers to play it safe‚ to anticipate potential delays and leave earlier for the airport than they would under normal circumstances‚” said airport spokesperson Leigh Gunkel-Keuler.

“However‚ from an airport management perspective we are planning for minimal disruption of airport operations. As a national key point we have contingency plans that can be activated immediately should the situation warrant such action.”