Sadtu on Thursday threatened to tell its members in Limpopo to down tools in solidarity with unpaid matric exam markers.
"It seems this is a new trend that markers in Limpopo are paid two to three months after marking, whilst in the past markers were paid immediately after marking is completed," said SA Democratic Teachers Union provincial secretary Matome Raphasha.
Markers in other provinces had already been paid, he said.
Sadtu warned the education department that if the markers were not paid by the end of January they would make things "unbearable to the department and the system in general".
Raphasha said the union would demand interest if payments were late.
"Reasons advanced by the department remain not convincing but reflecting lack of leadership and commitment."
The department was lurching from one crisis to the next, he said.
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