Unions blast Cell C’s decision to retrench workers

Unions say they are disappointed with Cell C’s failure to take advantage of the recent surge in telecoms usage amid the lockdown.

The remarks come after Cell C announced that it expects to close 128 stores and cut more than 500 jobs. The mobile phone operator has a workforce of 2 500 and 240 stores.

The Communications Workers Union (CWU) says Cell C’s business model has failed to deliver positive outcomes. Aubrey Tshabalala,  General Secretary of CWU, says the company failed to seize the opportunity.

“The issue here is about their business model and how they infiltrate the market, they failed to seize the opportunity during lockdown where most companies were using the network to connect and Cell C was lagging behind. We think it’s also time for government to release the spectrum to assist companies like Cell C to keep afloat.”

Five million jobs could be lost due to COVID-19: 

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Cell C has been under financial pressure for some time. It, however, rejected Telkom SA’s bid to take the company over in 2019.