Looming protest at Luthuli House over Telkom retrenchments
Trade unions representing Telkom workers have questioned the role of government in preventing job losses in companies it has a stake in.
This comes after Telkom announced that it would shed at least 3000 jobs in March.
The figure later rose to 6000.
The Communications Workers Union (CWU) says it will march to the African National Congress’ (ANC) Luthuli House headquarters to call for the party’s intervention.
"Fundamentally the shareholders, who are our employers, is the government so we'll go to the government but also direct to those that we have given a full mandate through our vote which is the African National Congress. We'll have to go to Luthuli House and march there and it will happen very soon," says CWU's secretary general Aubrey Tshabalala.
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This is according to the head of the sub-committee on economic transformation Enoch Godongwana. The ANC released the outcomes of this weekend's national executive committee meetings at its Luthuli House headquarters in Johannesburg on Wednesday. One of the decisions taken by the ANC is that the debt-laden SAA should remain in the state's hands.
The South African government holds a 39% stake in the company.
"The majority shareholders when you combine the PIC shares with the one of government, together, it gives them 51% shares meaning they have a voice in the board itself. It means the government has a role in intervening in these retrenchments."
Tshabalala further warns: "Failure to do so it will be a clear indication that look the ruling party is in agreement with retrenchments."
Last week Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams called an urgent meeting with the telecommunications giant over the looming retrenchments, but is yet to meet with the union.
"The union will still pursue a meeting with the minister who had not yet responded to our letting requesting for an urgent meeting with her."
Tshabalala says the union will meet with Telkom in February.
"Our next meeting will resume on the 5th and the 6th of the next month which is February so that we can be able to go deeply and hear the company's position."