Fixed-line operator Telkom will meet with unions tomorrow in a bid to resolve an ongoing wage dispute.
The three Telkom unions - the Communications Workers Union, the South African Communications Union and Solidarity - have been locked in a dispute with the operator since September last year.
This was after a three-year wage agreement, signed in 2006, was challenged by the unions under a fallback clause that allowed for re-negotiation if inflation changes by more than 3% ‑ which it has done.
Telkom is offering between 7.5% and 7.7% wage increases, while labour wants between 11% and 14%.
The unions - representing about 22 500 workers - have indicated that, should their demands not be met, they will take their case to the Council for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration, paving the way for rolling mass action.
Solidarity spokesman Jaco Kleynhans has echoed the sentiment of the other unions, saying Telkom's offer does not even compensate for the current consumer inflation rate.
"The sub-standard offer points to Telkom's disregard for its employees," maintains Kleynhans.
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