The Communications Workers’ Union (CWU) will continue with its protests outside Vodacom premises, the union said on Thursday.
CWU spokesperson Mfanafuthi Sithebe said the union would defy the interim interdict granted to Vodacom to prevent striking workers from entering, interfering with or obstructing access to the company premises.
On Wednesday, the Labour Court extended the interdict to Friday when it will deliver a final decision on whether the interim interdict would be made permanent.
Sithebe said the union respected state organs and the rule of law, but would defy the interdict as it pushed a certain agenda.
”The peaceful strike action for the recognition of the CWU as a bargaining agent at Vodacom South Africa is continuing,” Sithebe said.
”Our call for real negotiations has fallen on deaf ears.”
He said CWU was willing to honour any meeting convened and chaired by Vodacom CEO Alan Knot-Craig.
”His [Craig] integrity and courage to find an amicable solution is well documented in the history of the company and the outside world.”
The union’s main grievance was Vodacom’s failure to recognise it as a collective bargaining agent and a representative of its workers.
Vodacom has stated that the union would only be recognised when it held a 30% membership, as set out by the Labour Relations Act and case law.
The giant cellphone network company claims the union has less than 10% membership.
All companies in the ICT industry, particularly where CWU was unconditionally recognised, would be served with a secondary strike notice, Sithebe said.
The union will hold a demonstration outside Parliament in Cape Town on Saturday. — Sapa