Telkom workers picket as strike continues
Their picketing comes amid nation-wide industrial action which has seen more than 15,000 Telkom technicians and telephone operators, including 1,000 in the Eastern and Southern Cape, staying away from work from Monday last week.
CWU provincial organiser Mfundo Magcakani said the union in Nelson Mandela Bay would continue to picket this week.
"We have continued to sensitise workers about the offer made by Telkom.
"If they are comfortable with the offer, we will sign an agreement."
He said there had been a mixed response to the offer by workers in the Southern Cape, with around half not wanting their representatives to sign the document.
He said the Eastern Cape workers had decided that "they want the negotiators to sign", but he could not speculate what the other provinces would decide.
Union representatives from all the provinces met in Johannesburg last night to determine whether to accept Telkom’s wage offer of a 6,25% increase for the lowest paid workers and 6% for the highest paid.
Telkom is also offering to increase family responsibility leave from four to eight days a year. Other issues highlighted in the strike are gain-sharing and housing subsidies.
Last month the company offered gain-sharing amounts of between R2,000 and R3,000, but the unions demanded R50,000.
Telkom made the offer on condition that workers did not go on strike.
Telkom spokesman Ajith Bridgraj said on Monday afternoon that no resolution had yet been found on working conditions.
"There has been no resolution to the wage dispute between workers and ourselves." He said he hoped the union meeting being held last night would give the company "pointers" on how to proceed.
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