Subscribe

Job insecurity persists for ex-Telkom workers

Paula Gilbert
By Paula Gilbert, ITWeb telecoms editor.
Johannesburg, 05 Oct 2015
Notice of consultation letters have been issued to 255 of the 320 Telkom staff transferred to WNS, as the outsourcing company plans consolidation of positions.
Notice of consultation letters have been issued to 255 of the 320 Telkom staff transferred to WNS, as the outsourcing company plans consolidation of positions.

Former Telkom employees transferred to outsourcing company WNS, as part of Telkom's section 197 business transfer process earlier this year, are facing another restructuring process.

"Notice of consultation letters were issued to 255 of the 320 Telkom staff transferred to WNS due to a consolidation of positions from Gauteng, the Free State and the Western Cape to Port Elizabeth and Durban," confirms Johann Kunz, MD of WNS South Africa.

Trade union Solidarity's head of communication industry, Marius Croucamp, says if employees do not accept a voluntary severance package, or cannot be transferred to a new location, these employees "are likely to be retrenched".

Kunz would not confirm whether any voluntary severance packages had been offered, saying the "final impact can only be determined during the consultation process".

"In the course of transferring Telkom staff to WNS, we have fully complied with all aspects of the applicable labour legislation, as well as with all the previous Telkom terms and conditions of employment for the transferred employees," according to Kunz.

"Telkom is co-responsible for this process and has to accept responsibility for yet again subjecting these employees to restructuring within such a short time span," says Croucamp.

Similar fate

This comes hot on the heels of Solidarity alleging Telkom employees transferred to Barloworld Logistics are facing a similar fate.

Barloworld Logistics denied plans to retrench any staff but did tell ITWeb the company is undergoing changes that may affect some employees.

Barloworld Logistics executive for marketing, Kate Stubbs, says the 112 former Telkom employees transferred from Telkom as part of the same business transfer process "remain employed by Barloworld Logistics".

"Barloworld Logistics is a dynamic company operating in a competitive environment and must constantly re-evaluate and, if necessary, adapt its business strategy to the needs of the market and in the best interests of our stakeholders ? including staff and clients. When such changes occur, there are always processes in place to ensure a smooth operational transition," says Stubbs.

Barloworld Logistics is reportedly reducing its work premises from 35 to 17, with employees offered a choice to transfer to Barloworld's premises in Boksburg, or apply for 16 vacant positions in other provinces.

Stubbs says no jobs will be affected by any location downsizing "at the moment" but says "eventually some 86 employees" will be affected. It is still unclear how they will be affected.

Share