South Africa: MTN to end two-month strike

One week after the appointment of Mteto Nyati as chief executive of the South African mobile operator MTN Group, the leaders of the Communications Workers Union (CWU) reached a deal over bonuses on Thursday, ending two months strike by the workers.

About 2,000 workers of the South African second-biggest telecoms firm MTN Group went on strike last May demanding higher pay and demanding eight per cent pay rise and 16 per cent bonus payment.

Zodwa Kubeka, spokeswoman for the Communication Workers Union said  its members at MTN want a 10 percent pay rise and higher allowances for work done over weekends and holidays but  finally they  had agreed to the 8 percent bonus payment this year and 12 percent next year. Both payments are guaranteed and not related to the performance of the company.

The company, which reported a 9 percent increase in full-year profit in March, employs about 6,500 people in its home market, where it trails rival Vodacom by subscriber numbers. MTN’s biggest market by subscribers is Nigeria.

About Khalid Al Mouahidi 4463 Articles
Khalid Al Mouahidi : A binational from the US and Morocco, Khalid El Mouahidi has worked for several american companies in the Maghreb Region and is currently based in Casablanca, where he is doing consulting jobs for major international companies . Khalid writes analytical pieces about economic ties between the Maghreb and the Mena Region, where he has an extensive network