Telkom holds off maritime unit strike

By Candice Jones for Telkom
Johannesburg, 30 Mar 2007

A strike by the Solidarity trade union, at Telkom's Cape Town maritime radio division, has been averted, as the two parties entered into discussions.

According to the union, Telkom indicated in an earlier letter that it intended to apply for an urgent interdict to stop the strike, which was due to begin at midnight on Thursday.

Telkom could not confirm whether it had received a court interdict, but Dirk Hermann, Solidarity's deputy general-secretary, says the company did not produce one last night.

The strike was intended to oppose an amended duty roster compiled by Telkom and brought into action in 2006.

Hermann says Solidarity proposed last night that Telkom reinstate the old duty roster for the next two months.

Overtime frustration

Meshack Dlamini, Telkom executive of employee relations, says Telkom attempted to engage with the union last year, but claims Solidarity refused talks. However, Hermann says the company produced terms which the union did not agree with, which led to further action.

"This system, on which agreement was reached in 2003, entails Sunday work is voluntary, employees receive double pay for work on Sundays, and Sunday shifts may be exchanged with colleagues," says Solidarity spokesman Jaco Kleynhans.

"The company [Telkom] negotiators did not have a mandate last night to concede to our request and our members will, therefore, not go out on strike until Telkom management makes a decision today," says Kleynhans.

Dlamini says: "Telkom places a high premium on the interests of all its employees, and we are engaging with Solidarity with a view to reaching an agreement."

However, Hermann says the maritime radio workers are frustrated and still want to strike. "Employees have lost a lot of overtime because of the change and this two-month window period will buy time for further negotiations," he says.

Coastal impact

The maritime radio division monitors the shipping in and out of SA's coastal areas. It also monitors all distress signals that occur between SA, South America and Australia.

"A disruption of this kind [the strike] could have been serious because it does not only affect the South African coastline, but some international coasts as well," says Hermann.