PAC wants government to halt Cell C job cuts

The pending retrenchments of 1 600 employees by Cell C couldn’t have come at a worse time, action must be taken to stop it and the government must investigate all lockdown-related retrenchments.

This was the view of Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) secretary for labour, Luvo Vanyaza. The cellphone company said the retrenchments were part of its plan to right-size its business and a “focus to improve operational efficiencies”.

Cell C announced in June it would trim its workforce by up to 40% – a decision challenged by the Information Communication Technology Union ( ICTU), which had applied for an interdict to stop the planned retrenchments. They lost the case in the labour court.

Now the union members embarked on a strike to force its demand for the retrenchments to be halted. The PAC lambasted the court ruling, saying it was not surprising as courts were part of the state institutional machinery that protected the interests of the ruling “bourgeoisies class” against the working class.

“This proves that the law in this country are designed to serve the interests of capitalism and imperialism,” said Vanyaza, adding that authorities must investigate claims that Cell C applied for UIFTers benefits but still went ahead with its retrenchment plans.

“As the PAC of Azania, we are fully behind all of the the striking employees and are communicating with shop stewards to discuss ways on which we can lend our support.”

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