Icasa promises business as usual through strike — Image is AI-generated for illustration purposes

Communications regulator Icasa has said none of its services will be affected when staff embark on a protected strike from Thursday, 6 August.

Responding to questions from TechCentral, Icasa confirmed that Nehawu, its recognised union, has notified it of the union’s intention to strike from Thursday over cost-of-living adjustment negotiations. Icasa said it respects the constitutional right of employees to engage in lawful industrial action.

It said all its services “will continue to operate as normal” and that no disruption to its operations or service delivery is anticipated, adding that measures are in place to manage services and operations during the period.

The authority’s public statement did not set out how the talks broke down. A letter to staff signed by Icasa’s CEO, headed “Update on the Cola negotiations for the 2026/27 financial year”, says the parties failed to reach agreement and that the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration issued Nehawu with a certificate of non-resolution — the procedural step that permits a protected strike.

Icasa told staff it then invoked a clause in its remuneration policy giving it the prerogative to implement the increase it had offered where consultation fails to produce a deal. On that basis the final offer was implemented and employees received a 4.5% increase with the June payroll run. The letter does not say what Nehawu had sought.

Back to the office

TechCentral received a copy of the letter from a third party on Tuesday evening. Rather than publish a document it could not vouch for, it put the contents to Icasa and held off from publishing until a spokesman confirmed the letter was authentic.

The letter instructs all employees to work from Icasa’s offices from Wednesday, 5 August “until further notice”, citing a provision of the regulator’s hybrid working guidelines that allows line managers to require attendance for operational reasons. Icasa described the measure as intended to maintain operational oversight and attendance management during the strike.

A no-work-no-pay principle will apply for the duration of the strike, in line with picketing rules agreed between Icasa and Nehawu. Attendance registers are to be circulated for employees who are not striking, and staff will be required to account for their time by providing proof of daily work output to line managers. Anyone who does not report for duty at an Icasa office will be treated as participating in the strike.

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Managers and employees outside the bargaining unit who intend to join the action have been asked to notify their executives beforehand. Employees on approved leave, training or official business are asked to make that clear to their managers and to human resources so they are not incorrectly recorded as striking. Non-striking staff have been directed to use basement parking, and separate attendance monitoring is to be arranged for regional offices.

TechCentral asked Icasa what contingency arrangements are in place to maintain its regulatory functions during the strike — specifically whether licensing and type-approval processes, spectrum work, consumer complaint handling, council meetings and any scheduled hearings or public consultation deadlines will be affected, and whether any statutory timelines are at risk.

The authority did not address any of those items individually, offering the general assurance that services will continue as normal.

The timing is unhelpful for a regulator carrying a heavy workload. Icasa is working through the rapid deployment regulations and spectrum licensing matters.