Union, Telkom face-off over nepotism charge

Cape Town - As the fight over jobs emerges at Telkom, a war of words between the telco and union has escalated.

Note: This story has been updated with Telkom's comment

On Sunday, EWN reported that the Communication Workers Union (CWU) accused Telkom CEO Sipho Maseko of nepotism.

The union has apparently also called for Maseko to step down and for Telkom to retract the retrenchment letters it claims the company has sent to more than 100 staff members since the beginning of this month.

Fin24 reported on Friday that Telkom [JSE:TKG] had issued retrenchment letters to 105 staff members, according to the CWU.

READ: Telkom issues retrenchment letters

According to EWN Clyde Mervin of the CWU accused Maseko of "employing friends in management positions", while the union's members are now jobless.

Telkom reacted by saying that negotiations are ongoing, and declined to comment on specific claims.

"Telkom's restructuring has been undertaken with a commitment to consult and engage with all our labour representatives, at the appropriate and necessary junctures.

"Telkom has begun feedback discussions with organised labour, including the CWU," said Jacqui O'Sullivan, managing executive of Group Communication at Telkom.

"These discussions are ongoing and it would not be appropriate to discuss any potential content, prior to the conclusion of those discussions," O'Sullivan added.

In July, the Telkom retrenchment saga took a new twist after Maseko circulated a memo informing staff that the company did not suspend the process to restructure the business.

Also that time, the Solidarity Union said Telkom had suspended the retrenchment process.

“In terms of the agreement, Telkom will suspend all planned selections, appointments and retrenchments," the union said in a statement in July.

Telkom did, however, indicate earlier this year that it intended to cut about 2 500 management positions over a period of time.

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