According to José Teixeira, delegate and union member, the interruption of services, for the last six days, has only occurred in the province of Luanda, where more than half of the workers are concentrated - more than 470 of the 886 employees.
The striker stressed that, last Friday, a meeting took place with the employer, but the parties did not reach an agreement, "because the employer remains reluctant".
José Teixeira stressed that the claims date back to 2012, when there was a strike and then "a labor stability pact" was signed.
"That pact said that the employer should continue to improve the living conditions of workers, but from 2012 until now, conditions have deteriorated and now increasingly", he said.
The union leader stressed that in view of the situation, in October, the union leadership began to negotiate with the Board of Directors and in December they held a workers' assembly and a strike was declared.
"Still, the employer asked for a moratorium of five months, the workers, imbued in good faith, gave a vote of confidence to the board of directors. After this period, the union committee returned to the charge again and the administration always says who has no money, so the strike that was suspended was lifted last week," he said.
The claim book requires a salary increase, medical and medication assistance, improvement of working conditions, food subsidy, INSS (social security) regularization and retirement.
José Teixeira rejects the argument that the company is unable to meet the demands of workers, because the telecommunications sector is profitable.
"Even in the time of covid-19, companies that made the most money and a monster like Angola Telecom doesn't have money? If the companies linked to us have money, don't we who feed them have money?", he asked. , stating that "it is impossible".
"I have been at the service of this company for 33 years and I know what it produces. In 2011, the Angolan State injected financial capital to restructure Angola Telecom, where did that money go?", he asked.
José Teixeira underlined that the workers consider the "mismanagement" of the management to be at the basis of these allegations of lack of money, which led to the strike.
