MTN South Africa CEO Mteto Nyati announced an agreement with the Communication Workers Union (CWU) to end the two-month strike at the operator immediately. The breakthrough in negotiations follows the exit of MTN's CEO Ahmad Farroukh and his replacement with Nyati. The agreement serves the common interests of MTN and its employees, and allows MTN to focus on its core reason for existence, which is to deliver services to its customers, said Nyati. He apologised for the inconvenience that MTN customers suffered during the strike, and thanked them for their patience and loyalty.
At the core of the agreement is that the union has accepted MTN's bonus and salary adjustment policies, the operator said. According to the CWU, MTN agreed to a 12 percent annual bonus for employees, payable regardless of company performance, down from the union's original claim of 16 percent. In addition, casual workers at MTN will be offered permanent contracts, and the company will backdate and increase compensation for working Sundays and public holidays. The issue of an overall pay increase remains the subject of further negotiations.
