Striking staff members have vandalised and sabotaged its property and operations, says Telkom.
Charlotte Mokoena, Telkom's chief of human resources, says: “Any acts of vandalism and sabotage will be fully investigated and perpetrators will be dealt with through the criminal justice system.”
The company did not provide details on what was damaged.
The Communication Workers Union (CWU) went out on strike in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, the Western Cape and Mpumalanga on Monday over an ongoing wage dispute.
CWU members want Telkom to first narrow the wage gap before implementing a 7.5% salary increase, which would give workers an effective 12% improvement. The dispute has dragged on for over a year.
On Monday and Tuesday, about 4 000 workers in the four provinces downed tools in a bid to force Telkom to capitulate, the union has claimed. However, Mokoena says only 1 600 workers went on strike yesterday.
No resolution
This week, both parties failed to reach a resolution at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration, where Telkom put R68 million on the table to narrow the wage gap.
CWU secretary-general Gallant Roberts said this is a step backwards from the initial offer of R78 million, which had not been implemented, as the board had not approved the amount.
The union responded by marching to the telco's head office to hand over a memorandum detailing their grievances yesterday. Union leaders were not available to comment, but Sapa quoted spokesman Pheane Ramoadi as saying "our members were peaceful, our march was peaceful”.
Mokoena says only CWU has not signed a wage offer, as the South African Communication Workers Union and Solidarity have signed an agreement.
CWU membership accounts for 7 700 of Telkom's 23 498 staff members. The two parties are set to resume discussions on 11 August, but union members are expected to embark on a nationwide strike tomorrow.
Telkom remains committed to reaching an agreement with the union, Mokoena says.
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