The Times Editorial: The country was last night counting the cost of a devastating public-sector strike that shut thousands of schools, saw state hospitals turn away patients, and disrupted courts and home affairs and customs offices.

As the strike entered its fourth week yesterday, unions representing 1.3 million civil servants decided to suspend the stayaway for 21 days pending further consultations with their members, who have still not accepted the government's revised offer of a 7.5% wage hike and a monthly housing allowance of R800.

Economists said that while the strike - the worst since 2007 - had not yet begun to directly affect the rand or JSE, it has cost the economy about R1-billion a day.

Schooling has been severely disrupted, leading to matric preliminary exams being postponed. There have been reports of neglected patients dying in hospitals, and thousands of seriously and chronically ill people have simply stayed home.

The strike has also increased tensions in the ANC alliance, in the process probably costing President Jacob Zuma considerable support, and has tarnished the country's image abroad.

On the upside, military medics and thousands of volunteers stepped into the breach at hospitals, and parents and pupils at many affected schools set up study groups to ensure that at least some learning continued.

Both the government and the unions must shoulder the responsibility for the fact that the strike was so protracted and bitter.

The government's communications were poor: instead of speaking with one clear voice, several senior officials issued statements that were at times contradictory and vague.

For their part, why did it take the union leaders so long to convince their members to suspend the strike? After all, the government's last revised offer was tabled a week ago.