South Africa’s network provider, Vodacom, assured its customers on Monday that the strike by its workers belonging to the Communications Workers Union (CWU) will not disrupt operations.
“Vodacom can confirm that we have received a notice to picket from the CWU. Operations will not be disrupted and neither will service to our customers be compromised,” said Vodacom’s spokesperson Dot Field.
Workers started picketing on Monday at the company’s Vodaworld, Midrand, offices demanding recognition of their union.
“Despite reporting severe restrictions on the right to join labour unions, workers at Vodacom have organised through the CWU. The company’s refusal to entertain any negotiations with the workers has resulted in the current dispute,” CWU spokesperson, Mfanafuthi Sithebe, said in a statement.
Field said that Vodacom has an agreement with the union, which specifies that CWU needed to have a representative rate of around 30% of the company’s workforce to qualify for recognition.
“In Vodacom SA the CWU currently has representation of less than 10% and not the agreed threshold of 30% which would qualify them to enter into a collective agreement,” Field said.
Vodacom is jointly owned by Telkom SA and Vodafone Group and has operations in South Africa, Tanzania, Lesotho, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. ‒ I-Net Bridge