Solidarity accepts Telkom wage offer

By Damaria Senne for Telkom
Johannesburg, 06 Apr 2006

Solidarity and Telkom have confirmed the trade union has accepted the revised wage offer that Telkom presented to it on 24 March.

According to a Telkom spokesperson, 60% of Telkom workers, which include Solidarity and South African Communications Union members as well as non-unionised workers, have now accepted the wage offer. The wages will be backdated to 1 April 2006, he says.

The spokesperson notes that the Communications Workers Union (CWU) has not accepted the wage offer, which expired yesterday. He says once agreement is reached with CWU, it will be effective from the time of agreement, not back-dated.

Strike action suspended

The barricading of Telkom premises scheduled for 6 and 7 April will not take place, says CWU. Telkom also did not lockout CWU workers this morning, says CWU deputy general secretary Vulture Ntuluki.

Ntuluki says Telkom made it clear that negotiations could not take place if CWU continued with strike action. As a result, CWU suspended all strike action to give negotiations a chance.

High rejection rate

Solidarity deputy general secretary Dirk Hermann says the union is concerned that 43% of its members rejected Telkom`s wage offer. He says Solidarity feels strongly that Telkom must appoint a task team to investigate best practice profit-sharing schemes in SA and internationally.

This position was also part of Solidarity`s submission during wage negotiations. However, Telkom`s revised offer is that the profit-sharing agreement would be effective for three years before new negotiations take place.

Ntuluki says a meeting between CWU and Telkom will take place today.