COMPANY NEWS IN BRIEF
Telkom may retrench 15% of its workforceSouth Africas third-biggest mobile operator Telkom said on Tuesday it would begin workplace consultations on internal restructuring that is expected to affect 15% of its workforce.
“As the group manages the delicate migration of revenue between old to new technologies, it is challenged with managing the costs associated with the different technologies, the competitiveness and sustainability of the group,” it said in a brief statement.
The Section 189(a) process will impact all business units and subsidiaries and is intended to ensure the sustainability of the group, it said. Section 189 of the Labour Relations Act allows an employer which is considering large-scale dismissals to undergo a consultative process to determine whether such dismissals are deemed necessary to keep its operations going.
Telkom, valued at about R20 billion on the JSE, has been battling for years with a steady decline in its legacy fixed-line business, with fixed voice revenue declining almost double digits in its 2022 year, resulting in group revenue falling slightly.
The company has been pushing into mobile services, and migrating from traditional copper to fibre. Telkom employed just under 12 000 people as of the end of its 2022 year, which is down from just over 15 000 in its 2020 year, and over 18 000 in 2018.
The company didn’t incur restructuring costs in 2022, but moves to reduce its workforce, including through voluntary severance packages, cost it R270 million in 2021.- Fin24 Pick n Pay scraps use of plastic barrier bags’Pick n Pay will no longer use plastic barrier bags to separate certain products when packing groceries for customers at till points.
The initiative would help prevent 20 million single-use plastic bags, which are difficult to recycle, from ending up in the environment, the retailer claims. “These small clear plastic barrier bags are not currently recycled effectively, and by removing these at till points, we can play a part in reducing reliance on unnecessary single-use plastic,” said Vaughan Pierce, executive for ESG (environmental, social and governance) at Pick n Pay.
Although the barrier bags will be removed from till points, they will still be available at fruit and vegetable sections at stores. But Pick n Pay is encouraging its customers to use reusable netted bags instead. Barrier bags are used to separate certain products like fresh produce, cleaning items and toiletries. Pick n Pay has a strategy to reduce plastic waste by 2025.
Its targets include ensuring all or 100% of its packaging is reusable or recyclable. In the past two years, this target has increased from 67% to 80%, the retailer noted in a statement.
Other targets are for 100% of all cardboard and paper used in Pick n Pay packaging to be sourced from “responsibly managed” forests. It also aims to increase the sale of its reusable bags by 30%.- Fin24
“As the group manages the delicate migration of revenue between old to new technologies, it is challenged with managing the costs associated with the different technologies, the competitiveness and sustainability of the group,” it said in a brief statement.
The Section 189(a) process will impact all business units and subsidiaries and is intended to ensure the sustainability of the group, it said. Section 189 of the Labour Relations Act allows an employer which is considering large-scale dismissals to undergo a consultative process to determine whether such dismissals are deemed necessary to keep its operations going.
Telkom, valued at about R20 billion on the JSE, has been battling for years with a steady decline in its legacy fixed-line business, with fixed voice revenue declining almost double digits in its 2022 year, resulting in group revenue falling slightly.
The company has been pushing into mobile services, and migrating from traditional copper to fibre. Telkom employed just under 12 000 people as of the end of its 2022 year, which is down from just over 15 000 in its 2020 year, and over 18 000 in 2018.
The company didn’t incur restructuring costs in 2022, but moves to reduce its workforce, including through voluntary severance packages, cost it R270 million in 2021.- Fin24 Pick n Pay scraps use of plastic barrier bags’Pick n Pay will no longer use plastic barrier bags to separate certain products when packing groceries for customers at till points.
The initiative would help prevent 20 million single-use plastic bags, which are difficult to recycle, from ending up in the environment, the retailer claims. “These small clear plastic barrier bags are not currently recycled effectively, and by removing these at till points, we can play a part in reducing reliance on unnecessary single-use plastic,” said Vaughan Pierce, executive for ESG (environmental, social and governance) at Pick n Pay.
Although the barrier bags will be removed from till points, they will still be available at fruit and vegetable sections at stores. But Pick n Pay is encouraging its customers to use reusable netted bags instead. Barrier bags are used to separate certain products like fresh produce, cleaning items and toiletries. Pick n Pay has a strategy to reduce plastic waste by 2025.
Its targets include ensuring all or 100% of its packaging is reusable or recyclable. In the past two years, this target has increased from 67% to 80%, the retailer noted in a statement.
Other targets are for 100% of all cardboard and paper used in Pick n Pay packaging to be sourced from “responsibly managed” forests. It also aims to increase the sale of its reusable bags by 30%.- Fin24
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