Telkom workers set for strike action?

[rpm]

Telkom workers set for strike action?

Union Solidarity says it cannot rule out possible strike action at Telkom after accusing the telecoms firm of backtracking on its job security clause in wage deal offer.

 

[ToxicBunny]

Will we even notice?

 

[MickeyD]

Will we even notice?

If your service is working, probably not!

 

[MartyMarts]

We're all going to die

Run for the hills!

 

[House]

If your service is working, probably not!

Agreed, but what if they pull the switch of all our broadband and phone lines just before the strike!

 

[xumwun]

If your service is working, probably not!

Even if it's not working it might be hard to notice.

 

[MickeyD]

Agreed, but what if they pull the switch of all our broadband and phone lines just before the strike!

Cannot happen. The last time they had a strike there were a few isolated cases of sabotage. The precedent case in Cape Town where the unions were held liable for damages caused by their members has scared the unions into calling for calm. Most of their strikes will be pickets in front of buildings during lunch time, as they do not want to lose any pay!!

 

[MartyMarts]

Cannot happen. The last time they had a strike there were a few isolated cases of sabotage. The precedent case in Cape Town where the unions were held liable for damages caused by their members has scared the unions into calling for calm. Most of their strikes will be pickets in front of buildings during lunch time, as they do not want to lose any pay!!

So they will go to work and then go on strike during their lunch hour :wtf:

 

[Wyzak]

I arrived home yesterday evening to my telephone and ADSL line being down. I reported the fault via the sms number and within 20 minutes the fault had been restored. Kudos were kudos are due. Thanks Telkom!

 

[Paul Hjul]

Solidarity going on strike will be a big problem for the South African internet, not only will we be technicians short but all the stay at homers will also spike the demand ...

 

[Paul Hjul]

Solidarity going on strike will be a big problem for the South African internet, not only will we be technicians short but all the stay at homers will also spike the demand ...

 

[Paul Hjul]

So they will go to work and then go on strike during their lunch hour :wtf:

There is a general misuse of terminology at play. A strike in the language of the constitution is the withholding of labour by workers and the right to strike means that a protected strike can be held such that labourers are not fired for withholding labour.
In the constitution the right to picket is found in the assembly and free expression rights. Strikes also attract the no work no pay policy. From this perspective you can't be on strike when you are not working and picketing when you aren't working isn't striking - it is picketing until you consider the following:
if an employee of Telkom were to arrive at work with a shirt saying FU Telkom they could face disciplinary action and it would generally be actionable to hold an employee to a conduct of behaviour that prohibits them from criticising the business etc ... but this doesn't seem to apply when striking.

So labour may call a strike and go through the various notions of the labour legislation such that none of their employees loose wages simply because a strike is embarrassing to the company

 

[MartyMarts]

So they are going to "picket" during their lunchtime?

 

[Paul Hjul]

yes but it will be "protected" in the sense that Telkom won't be able to charge employees in a disciplinary action and so on with things like bringing the company into disrepute and so forth.

Unfortunately the general disarray in South Africa is that we don't have an ethos that separates a persons professional responsibilities from recourses and so forth against your employer in the event of a dispute - magistrates striking for example is nonsense. Magistrates serve the people and have established themselves outside of the civil service. Nothing stops them from criticizing the DoJ and using hundreds of tools to secure recourse against government mishandling. Members of SANDF cannot possibly go on an all out strike and refuse to obey orders but they should be able to through channels raise grievances and cause immeasurable embarrassment to the government and responsible minister.
Doctors do not suddenly escape medical ethics because they have a beef with the health authorities nor are teachers relieved of their duty to their students. Sight of this is lost everyday, because instead of embarking on an administrative strike (so teachers refusing to perform any non-educational functions which grinds the department to a halt, doctors and nurses refusing to attend to anything except their patients - no meetings etc ...) the unions like buster and inconvenience to show political might rather than their members interests.