Retrenchments of 13 000 Workers at Telkom

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) has learned with disbelief and shock that Telkom is enticing workers and our members to take voluntary severance packages and early retirement packages to avoid proper consultation process in terms of Section 189 of the Labour Relations Act.

We are also dismayed at the fact that the company never consulted CWU in this process which is tantamount to undermine our recognition agreement. CWU is convinced that even if they can put nice concept or wording to confuse our members like "voluntary severance packages" or "early retirement packages" it simply means retrenchment which as a union we are prepared to fight.

Telkom, being a state owned enterprise, is expected to implement policies of the government. One of these policies is job creation and what Telkom is doing by intending to retrench 13 000 workers is contrary to this policy. The company seems to be insensitive to the impact that this will have in the community given the current level of unemployment and the fact that the jobless are dependent on the employed.

CWU will be mobilizing its members to down tools at Telkom. We will never allow any form of retrenchment of our members. Even if the company can threaten our members we will fight the company until the last drop of our blood. We urge all of our members not to take voluntary severance packages or early retirement packages.

Developments at the SABC

Communication Workers Union welcomes the dissolution of the board and the appointment of the interim board. We hope that this will bring much needed stability at the corporation.

Dismissal of workers at the Post Office

We are disappointed by the Post Office's dismissal of 583 workers. The Post Office terminated a collective agreement in September 2012 it had with CWU, unilaterally stopped substantive negotiations and changed policies without consulting the union. Had the company not done this, issues of salary ranges and anomalies that gave rise to a strike by workers which culminated in their dismissal could have been addressed in a correct platform.

The termination of the collective agreement created a lacuna which disadvantaged workers before a new agreement was signed in February 2013.

Statement issued by Matankana Mothapo, CWU National Spokesperson, March 20 2013

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