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MTN workers have issued their bosses with a stern warning: meet their demands or experience a strike similar to the one that crippled the South African Post Office last year.
“We are not going to give you space to breathe. We will not kill you, but you will die within the system,” Communication Workers Union, Clyde Mervin, said today.
Mervin was addressing MTN SA’s chief executive Ahmad Farouk and human resource manager Themba Nyathi in front of employees who gathered during the first day of a strike at the MTN head offices in Fairlands, Johannesburg. The employees were demanding bonuses of 16% and the ban of labour brokers.
Mervin said that, should the mobile operator not yield to the demands, MTN would experience a strike similar to the one experienced by the Post Office last year.
Dressed in red T-shirts, more than 1000 MTN staff members affiliated to the Communication Workers Union sang struggle songs and danced with placards.
After working as a temporary employee for three years, Goodness Khoza said the struggle for her colleagues, most of whom were employed through labour brokers, was not over.
“We want all those who are employed as temps to be permanently employed – from cleaners, to gardeners to call-centre staff.”
Another worker, who did not want her name disclosed, said: “The company has enough money to pay its senior managers million in shares and bonuses, but does not want to pay our bonuses.”
Some of the demands contained in the memorandum include putting an end to all unfair labour practices such as not paying workers double pay for working on public holidays or extra pay for Sundays, and paying night-shift allowances.
National organiser Tshepo Matlou said the leaders of the company were “peddling lies” in the media and were not being honest when they said the company did not recognise the union, because the number of employees paying regular union fees was accounted for.
He accused the three leaders of MTN – Farouk, Nyathi and Sifiso Dabengwa – of being insensitive, irresponsible and not negotiating in good faith when employees made their demands known in March.
Matlou said instead of the employees’ initial 30% bonus demand, the union suggested a revised demand of 16%, which the company was not prepared to meet either.
“When we gave them our demands they said they were going to get back to us. But they were quick to turn to the media to make us look bad ... They are yet to make a counter offer to the demands we have been making for months.”
