South African ICT workers in unity talks

SOUTH Africa’s Communications Workers Union (CWU) said it had moved into another gear to foster unity talks with unions operating within the ICT sector.

The 27 000-member organization, which is currently organized and recognized in companies such as Telkom SA, the South African Post Office, SENTECH, ICASA and SABC among others, said the talks are aimed at increasing the bargaining power base of workers in the sector.

“CWU intends to form alliances with other unions in the ICT sector to access and increase the bargaining power base of the unions, and enjoy more Organizational Rights in terms of the Labour Relations Act. These unity talks are intended to result in engaging companies and concluding agreements on the Agency Fee and establishment of a Bargaining Council with the ultimate objective of engaging all unions to merge and form ONE Union within the ICT Sector,” said CWU general secretary Gallant Roberts.

“This partnership and unity is inevitable, and need the collective wisdom of union leaders, members and officials to make this initiative a success, particularly in the light of the scary challenges that are broad about by Globalization and made the ICT sector to be faced with permanent economic turbulences in the form of aggressive competition.”

He bemoaned worker’s challenges brought by retrenchments among others.

“The concepts have brought nothing but hardship and sorrow for the workers and their families, and are in conflict with the concept of a “Better Life For All”. It is for this reason that we believe that all caring leaders, members and official of the respective unions will agree with CWU having no reservations at all, that unity is the answer to the current and permanent onslaught workers are faced with and for the very sustenance and relevance of trade unions in this fluid sector,” he said.

Mthulisi Sibanda