South Africa’s Communication Workers’ Union (CWU) has said it will resist part state-owned telecommunications company Telkom’s plans to cut 1,000 jobs.
In April, Telkom announced its plan tocut ZAR1 billion (US$96.5 million) in costs annually for the three years, inevitably resulting in job losses.
The company later announced itsplan to cut 25 per cent of managerial staff over the same period.
The South African Press Association (SAPA) reports the CWU hopes to share ideas with Telkom on how the jobs could be saved.
“We will defend job losses. We want Telkom to engage us on what are the issues,” SAPA quotes CWU deputy president Clyde Mervin as saying.
“If today 1,000 jobs are lost, tomorrow it could be worse. We will mobilise our members by making sure we have proper engagements with our structures of the union to ensure that it [retrenchment] becomes the last resort.”
CWU acting secretary general Thabo Mogalane said the job cuts were against the government’s policies on job creation.
“This public asset has already shed thousands of jobs and cannot afford another major jobs bloodbath,” he said.
“We urge the company to explore alternatives. We shall oppose by all means any restructuring trajectory that negatively affects our members.”
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