Fin24 reports that twenty radio mast engineers employed by cellphone giant MTN in Durban have won an arbitration court battle that allows them to keep their personal company cars and petrol cards.  

MTN had argued that the company would save money by ditching personal cars and petrol cards and pooling cars for the employees instead.  Nationally, about 520 employees were affected by the decision.  The employees, as part of their employment contracts, were all given cars and were entitled to take them home at night and over weekends.  In December 2014 the company gave notice that, from April 2015, this would change.  The cars would be “pooled” and could only be used for work.  The employees' attorney Dean Caro indicated that countrywide four arbitrations by employees against MTN were instituted.  "MTN have lost three and settled one.  It is a resounding victory for the employees and a modern day equivalent of David vs Goliath,” he said.  The Durban arbitration took more than two years. Commissioner Lester Sullivan had strong words for the MTN, saying that it "chose to drag out this matter”.  He ordered that it pay the employees' legal costs.

• Read this report by Tania Broughton in full at Fin24

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