Telkom and Communication Workers` Union (CWU) yesterday signed a collective recognition agreement, in line with the commitment of both parties to foster a harmonious and constructive relationship going forward.
The new collective recognition agreement is suitable for Telkom as a public company. It is aligned with amendments made to the Labour Relations Act over the past several years, and has been simplified to ensure its user-friendliness and to ensure a common interpretation of its content. The Communication Workers` Union (CWU) represents about 40% of Telkom`s bargaining unit.
George Nkadimeng, Telkom`s Employee Relations Executive, said: "The new agreement is expected to enhance the relationship between both parties, as there is now a common understanding of the rights and obligations of both parties."
He added that the parties had made a deliberate decision not to include many of the annexures of the previous agreement to ensure that the new agreement remained functional through its simplicity of focus.
"Other elements that were included as annexures to the previous agreement will now be treated as separate agreements. Negotiations will commence before the first week of September, in line with the memorandum of understanding signed between both parties on the same date (yesterday). These include the Shopsteward Agreement, Disciplinary Procedure and Code, the Grievance Procedure and the Incapacity Procedure," Nkadimeng said.
Telkom and the Alliance of Telkom Unions (ATU) signed a collective recognition agreement on 1 April to foster a similar harmonious and constructive relationship going forward. Both parties also signed a Full-Time Shopsteward Agreement, which spelled out the roles, responsibilities and reporting structure for full-time shop stewards, who report to, and contract with Telkom Employee Relations at regional level. The parties also signed the Disciplinary Procedure and Code, Grievance Procedure and Incapacity Procedure in May.
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