MTN South Africa struck down by strike action

21 May 2015

According to a report via EWN, Mobile service provider MTN revealed that its call and service centres, as well as its distribution offices, are currently being affected by the latest strike - which has essentially struck down the operator. According to the report, the strike is being led by the Communication Workers Union (CWU).

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The report revealed that the union is currently demanding a 10 percent pay increase for its members as well as higher bonuses; however, the CWU allegedly only represents less than 30 percent of MTN's workforce.

In the report, MTNs Themba Nyati revealed that: "In order for the union to be recognised, they must have at least a 30 percent threshold of representatives. So from the unions that we have at MTN, CWU is sitting on 19 percent and then Solidarity is sitting at plus-minus 4 percent."

More than 2,000 workers have currently gone on strike, this is according to reuters.com. Iol.co.za revealed that was also a high police presence, with members of the Johannesburg Metro Police Department ensuring the striking workers kept their distance from the busy 14th Avenue road.

According to the union's president, Clive Mervin: "MTN has no choice but to recognise our existence."

Mervin added that: "We've made it clear we're willing to negotiate, but MTN can't forever not recognise us. We've made a huge impact in MTN. KZN will be on strike, Western Cape will be on strike, Mpumalanga will be on strike, Limpopo will be on strike and the biggest of them all will be in Johannesburg," this is according to EWN.

MTN has since apologised to its customer's for any service disruptions that may be experienced for the duration of the strike.

View the original article published on www.itnewsafrica.com