MTN workers go on pay strike countrywide

MTN customers had to deal with less than excellent service when thousands of MTN workers around the country went on strike yesterday.

The telecommunications giant’s service centres operated on skeleton staff and some of the outlets in shopping centres were affected.

Most of the Communications Workers Union (CWU) members in KwaZulu-Natal gathered in front of the Mount Edgecombe call centre where they picketed from 5am.

“The company makes millions, but they don't even want to give us a decent raise,” said an employee from Pinetown who has worked for the company for more than two years.

She said some of her colleagues had gone to work because of the “no work, no pay” policy.

CWU provincial convener Zamokuhle Ngcobo said the centre serviced prepaid customers who called the 173 number.

“One of our grievances is that over 80% of the staff in KZN are temporary. This is despite the government’s call for all temporary workers to be converted to full-time employees. They pay us peanuts while the top brass get millions in bonuses,” he said.

The union got approval to engage in industrial action from the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration on Friday, in support of its demands for salary and bonus increases.

Ngcobo said their attempts to engage the employer had fallen on deaf ears as MTN made unilateral decisions on salary increases, not “paying us substantial bonuses, even though the company is doing very well”.

The strike is indefinite, but the union has given MTN seven days to respond to their demands, which include a guaranteed 13th cheque, cellphone allowances and the introduction of the company’s new reward and recognition programme and canteen subsidies.

MTN SA chief executive Ahmad Farroukh received a memorandum from the union outside MTN’s head offices in Johannesburg yesterday.

“As part of its ongoing review of remuneration practices, which includes benchmarking its reward and recognition policy, MTN recently announced that level 1 and 2 employees will receive a guaranteed 4% of annual salary at the end of each year, and a 13th cheque every year in March,” said a statement released by MTN yesterday.

Spokeswoman Bridget Bhengu said: “The protest action has had minimal impact on our operations. The core operations are running optimally.”

However, some of the contract subscribers were not able to get through to the 808 customer service number.

Prepaid customer Nomcebo Gumbi said she was placed on hold for more than 45 minutes when she called the 173 number yesterday.

“I don’t know if it’s because of the strike or just poor service, but maybe the strike has contributed.”

Some customers went to MTN franchises where they were able to get assistance.