Johannesburg - Telkom on Monday afternoon secured an urgent interim court order interdicting and restraining CWU and its members from a number of illegal activities associated with the union’s current strike.
This comes as Telkom earlier said its workers who attempted to go to work today in the midst of the strike were “aggressively intimidated”.
Telkom spokesperson Jacqui O’Sullivan, earlier today, told Independent Media there had been a blockade at one of Telkom’s campus yards. “We are currently working with the [police] to secure access to Telkom Park.”
O’Sullivan said CWU members had not allowed staff to enter the campus and some yards. “They have physically shoved our people and have threatened them with violence. I was personally a recipient of this attempt at intimidation.”
There are less than 100 striking workers outside one of the Telkom offices in Pretoria, which accounts to less than 4 percent of the Telkom work force. Telkom currently employs 12 500 people, of which about 11 000 are unionised.
The dispute is over a wage agreement, with the CWO demanding Telkom implement an 11 percent across the board increase, a three-year moratorium on retrenchments and outsourcing, and six months paid maternity leave.
This despite Solidarity and the South African Communication Workers’ Union agreeing to a deal that will see no salary increases in this financial year, in favour of the implementation of a performance pays system.
This is designed to enable employees in the bargaining unit to earn up to 12 percent more than today on a monthly basis.
O’Sullivan said certain agreements have been met with the union which include no forced retrenchments in the next 24 months. “Telkom has met the unions on so many of their demands, such as a moratorium on retrenchments, a cap on outsourcing and a guaranteed increase next year, so it is disappointing to not only see industrial action from the CWU but for it to be accompanied with aggressive intimidation of our employees, while blocking access to our campus and some facilities.”
After numerous attempts earlier on Monday, CWU was unavailable for comment.
Labour Bureau