Some aggrieved workers and staff of the Telecom industry in Ghana are planning to lay down their tools on Monday, 5th September 2022.
The move is to register their displeasure over what they described as unfair labour practices and attack on Union members and executives negotiating with the employers subcontracted by Huawei Technologies Limited to operate on MTN, Vodafone and AirtelTigo key technical operations across the Country.
The group has also notified the Labour Commission of its intended strike action.
Ghanaians are likely to face a total breakdown in telecommunications networks if authorities look on unconcerned.
“The Telecom and IT Professionals Union (TIP), made up of telecom engineers, technicians, I.T professionals, and other allied workers, who manage the key technical operations for the telecom operators, has served notice to the National Labour Commission (NLC) and their employers to embark on strike action in response to the direct attack by the employers at the leadership of the Union (From National, Regional and Branch) that has threatened the very existence of the Union and its members,” part of the statement read.
According to the union, these four employers – Linfra Ghana Limited, MP Infrastructure Ghana Limited, Reime Ghana Limited, and Reliance Personal Services – who are subcontractors and employment agencies of Huawei Technologies on the managed service operations of MTN, Vodafone, and AirtelTigo, have refused to sign a joint letter with the Union to refer to the pending issues that all parties have declared deadlock on since July 2022.
The pending items are as follows:
a. Determination of the Principal employer and the role of the principal employer in the employment relationship.
b. Provisions to re-negotiate to restore equilibrium in the CA.
c. Severance.
d. Professional Subscription Fees.
e. Workload and Working Tools (Laptops, Mobile phones, Data bundle and airtime, and Pickup vehicles).
f. Proposed Forty-five (45%) salary increment for 2022.
The group further noted that Ghana’s telecommunications system would be left on autopilot until its needs are addressed.
