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Union takes Telkom fight to court

Staff Writer
By Staff Writer, ITWeb
Johannesburg, 01 Jul 2015
Solidarity will approach the labour court to obtain an urgent interdict against Telkom retrenchments.
Solidarity will approach the labour court to obtain an urgent interdict against Telkom retrenchments.

Trade union Solidarity is taking its ongoing retrenchments fight with Telkom to the courts as it feels the telecoms giant is not playing fair.

In a statement today Solidarity said it would approach the labour court to obtain an urgent interdict against the planned restructuring and retrenchments at Telkom.

"The trade union is of the opinion that Telkom is disregarding an agreement on restructuring processes it had concluded with trade unions in 2008. Under this agreement Telkom must meet with trade unions and reach agreement with them before the company may start a restructuring process.

"The agreement further provides that should a dispute arise at Telkom's restructuring forum, such dispute must first be resolved before a restructuring process may start."

Solidarity says, although trade unions declared a dispute with Telkom over the planned retrenchments on 19 June, Telkom carried on with the process, and on 22 June issued a section 189 retrenchment notice to trade unions.

Telkom is in the process of retrenching 4 400 employees through voluntary severance packages and voluntary early retirement packages, and also transfer an additional 3 400 employees to external outsourced providers, or via enterprise development.

However, as talks have deadlocked with labour unions, the company is now moving to a forced retrenchment process. Last month, Telkom said it has been unable to reach agreement with the unions on a process to progress with the critical next step in its multi-year turnaround programme.

Solidarity deputy head Johan Kruger says the trade union has warned Telkom in writing to withdraw the notice that indicates almost 4 500 mployees could be retrenched, but the company has so far refused to do so.

Kruger says the union hopes its latest move of launching an urgent court application will compel Telkom to withdraw the notice and stop the retrenchment process. "We are also applying that the dispute and process first be finalised by means of the restructuring forum."

Solidarity's application will be heard by the labour court on 7 July.

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