Trade union Solidarity is taking Telkom to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), in a bid to prevent managerial retrenchments.
Last month, Telkom announced it will begin a voluntary severance programme, which would apply to the company's management team, including a voluntary retirement option.
Telkom is adamant the retrenchments will be at each employee's discretion; however, unions are concerned that if managers don't take it up voluntarily, Telkom will move to forced retrenchments.
The three unions recognised by Telkom are the Communications Workers Union, the South African Communications Union, and Solidarity.
At the end of last month, unions again met with Telkom, in an attempt to force it to follow what Solidarity believes is proper procedure. However, talks have now broken down and the union is heading to the CCMA.
“Telkom is not handling the process in a transparent manner. Solidarity has requested Telkom on numerous occasions to stop the process of voluntary retrenchments and to consult with trade unions first, but the company has ignored these requests,” says Solidarity spokesman Jaco Kleynhans.
Solidarity is advising its members not to accept Telkom's retrenchment offer, and has questioned the company's motives for the move. “The lack of transparency in Telkom's conduct to date arouses concern and shows there are hidden motives that must be exposed to ensure employees' rights are protected,” says Kleynhans.
The company adds that, while there may be individual managers who are members of the unions, it does not necessarily mean the unions represent those employees in bargaining. Telkom is also baffled that the unions are so aggressive about the packages, because none of the affected employees are being forced into the retrenchments.
Smit adds that the retrenchments will help Telkom improve its ability to compete in an increasingly competitive market. With the company on the verge of unveiling a mobile product, Telkom needs to keep costs at a minimum.
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