Telkom workers were picketing countrywide on Wednesday in preparation for a march to the company's headquarters in Pretoria next week, the Communication Workers Union said.

CWU spokesperson Pheane Ramoadi said workers were picketing in Centurion, Milpark in Johannesburg, Springs, and Cape Town.

"This will followed by a national march to Telkom Towers next week Tuesday. Yesterday workers in Gauteng marched to headquarters. Next week they will be joined by workers from all the nine provinces."

On Tuesday, Telkom was given three days to accede to the worker's demands or face a full-scale strike. Workers indicated in a memorandum that they would not settle for anything less than an eight percent increase across the board.

"The three days lapse on Friday. We will meet next week Tuesday (11 August) while they request more money from their board."

The workers initially demanded a 13 percent increase but settled for 7.5 percent if Telkom would first alter "racialised" salary scales.

Ramoadi said white employees dominated higher salary scales while employees on lower scales were black.