The ongoing strike at MTN seems to be nearing resolution and an agreement appears to be in sight, but neither side is willing to capitulate at this stage.
The Communication Workers Union (CWU) says it is waiting for the mobile operator to respond to its latest demands, which include two sticking points that have yet to be agreed upon between the parties.
CWU secretary general Aubrey Tshabalala says the union is demanding MTN backs down on the no work, no pay principle and compensates workers who have stayed off work during the strike. The union also wants a 3% annual increase, on top of the company's performance-based increase system.
It is understood the CWU has backed down from its initial demands, and is now ready to accept the company's 4% bonus payout in December and another bonus payment of 8.33% in March 2016.
The CWU originally demanded a 30% bonus payout around the time it went out on strike, before revising this to 16%, and now conceding to accept the original 12% offered by MTN.
While the union is ready to back down on most of its demands, Tshabalala says MTN's refusal to budge on the two outstanding issues shows the company is playing mind games.
"They are trying to frustrate the strikers. These are issues of no consequence, but the company is refusing to budge."
Tshabalala says the union has received support from unions in all 22 countries where MTN has a presence and notes these unions have all called in MTN to find a resolution to the protracted strike.
Saving face
Meanwhile, MTN has accused the union of biting off more than it can chew, now needing to save face.
"The union has practically agreed to everything MTN was offering originally, but wants us to make as if we've reached an agreement together, which is not true," says an MTN spokesperson.
"We want the union to call off the strike, if they agree to our offer. After all, they unilaterally decided to go on strike, so they need to end it now."
He says the company will hold an internal meeting this morning to decide on a way forward, adding the operator could well issue its own demands to the CWU.
The spokesperson also claims the CWU is unlikely to get much more support from international unions. "They've tried that before, but it didn't work. The union has overplayed its hand. Yesterday, we had about 155 union members wanting to cancel their union subscriptions."
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