Vodacom strike suspended

By Damaria Senne, ITWeb senior journalist

Johannesburg, 13 Mar 2007

The Labour Court has ordered the Communication Workers Union (CWU) to suspend strike action against Vodacom, subject to a hearing on 19 March.

The national three-day strike, which was to take place from 12 to 14 March, was sparked by a dispute between the CWU and Vodacom. The union accused the mobile provider of refusing to recognise it as a representative labour organisation within the company.

Union members were to picket at Vodacom's premises in Midrand, Port Elizabeth and Durban before work and at lunchtime for the duration of the strike. However, yesterday Vodacom applied for, and was granted, an interim interdict by the Braamfontein Labour Court to halt the strike.

CWU spokesman Mfanafuthi Sithebe says the union will continue with the consumer boycott of Vodacom services. It will also proceed with the online campaign initiated by UNI Telecom, a global union membership organisation with 900 members, to support the CWU's strike action, he notes.

"The Labour Court judge did not address the consumer boycott and the online campaign in his ruling," he says.

The CWU is also asking its affiliates to put pressure on Vodacom to compel the mobile company to negotiate CWU's recognition status, he says.

Vodacom executive director of human resources Lungi Ndlovu says the Labour Relations Act makes clear provision for how recognition of a union should take place, where and when applicable. If a union has sufficient representation, Vodacom will follow the guidelines as provided by the Act, she says.