The public service strike has been suspended, but parliament is still at war with its own staff over their plans to disrupt the legislature until their salary demands are met.

Parliament today won a court order forbidding the legislature's 10 000 workers from holding illegal pickets in and around the buildings in Cape Town.

The Labour Court order interdicts Nehawu, the national education, health and allied workers union, from calling, inciting or encouraging picketing without permission.

"The unlawful picketing was getting increasingly disruptive with respect to the operations of the institution," parliament's administration said in a statement.

"It should be noted that Parliament respects and observes workers’ rights to demonstrate within the ambits of the law. Parliament applied for the urgent interim order to protect the integrity of the institution," it said.

Parliament's administration said yesterday it would implement its 7% wage offer from October 15 and backdate it to April.

Nehawu members have since Monday been holding lunch-hour pickets in the lobby outside the historic Old Assembly, where many important committee meetings are held.

The union threatened earlier this week to bring the legislature to a standstill if its demand for a 10% wage hike was not met.

The union rejected calls to honour an earlier agreement designating parliament as an essential service.