Fifa 2010 World Cup - Watch Live Updates

Several hundred World Cup workers have gathered in Durban to protest against low pay and working conditions in a dispute that has now spread to half the tournament's stadiums. The security stewards, who say they have been banned from working, sang and chanted slogans ahead of a planned march to the coastal city's town hall. Armed police kept watch but did not intervene.

Late on Sunday, police used force to break up a demonstration outside Durban's Moses Mabhida stadium, firing rubber bullets, tear gas and flash grenades at protesting workers.

Police have since taken over security at five of the World Cup's 10 stadiums, with only the venues at Rustenburg, Pretoria, Nelspruit, Polokwane and Bloemfontein still under private control.

South African police commissioner Bheki Cele says his forces "will not compromise the safety of the World Cup".

"We have activated necessary and adequate contingency plans for different venues in the country. Our priority according to our mandate is to ensure the safety of the tournament as per the security guarantees. We are confident that we will not compromise the safety of the tournament or our day-to-day normal policing."

South African Transport and Allied Workers Union security co-ordinator Jackson Simon said the temporary workers were being "ripped off" and warned that all venues would be affected unless Fifa and the World Cup's local organising committee intervened.

"According to these workers, they were promised R500 [£45] a match when they signed the contract, and they are being paid R190 or R200 [£20]. That is why they are embarking on this action.

"Most of the companies are using these workers only for this tournament: after that they will be unemployed and they are exploiting them because they know they will not be using them after these games."

The organising committee are set to give an update on the situation later today, although both they and Fifa have said they will not intervene in an employer-employee dispute.