The services of an estimated 100 Telkom contractors were terminated yesterday, the trade union said, adding that the process of terminating employees' services started in October this year with the services of several employees already terminated last month. "However, some of these employees who still showed up for work today were turned away," it said.
“The retrenchments come after the telecommunication company gave employees here the assurance last week that the planned retrenchment of both temporary and contract employees would be postponed to December 31," it said.
Solidarity said noted that Telkom had announced in the media that the retrenched temporary and contract employees could possibly be appointed permanently. "Solidarity has received no notification of these plans," the union added.
Contractors affected by these retrenchments were employees with a direct fixed-term contract with Telkom. Employees from labour brokers were not included, the union pointed out.
Solidarity insisted that the retrenchments, as well as the planned retrenchment of temporary employees, were unfair because Telkom did not follow the Section 189 process required by law. The trade union therefore emphasised that the planned retrenchment process should start afresh.
"In terms of legislation, employers must also follow this process when employees on fixed-term contracts are retrenched before the agreement expires," said Solidarity spokesperson Jaco Kleynhans.
"The requirements of the process include, among other things, that a consultation process between trade unions and the employer take place in order to investigate alternatives to retrenchment and to agree on a severance package. However, this was not done," he concluded.
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