Local news News

Tough times await SABC’s 400 nervous and worried workers

Employees at the South African Broadcasting Corporation now have to face a reality taken on by thousands of South Africans as they prepare themselves for retrenchments.

November 25, 2020

Content provided 2 minutes read

Communication Workers Union general secretary Aubrey Tshabalala has called for an immediate end to the restructuring process currently under way at the South African Broadcasting Corporation. Photo: Andile Dlodlo

Economic Freedom Fighters Hlengiwe Hlophe pledged the party’s support to the workers of the South African Broadcasting Corporation who are on the chopping block as the corporation recently announced that they will be retrenching 400 employees. Photo: Andile Dlodlo

South African Federation of Trade Union (Saftu) leader Zwelinzima Vavi has called on the SABC to halt retrenchment processes which could result in 400 workers being left without a job. Photo: Andile Dlodlo

Protesting South African Broadcasting Corporation workers are asking their employees to go back to the drawing board after they rejected proposed plans to let go of 400 workers. Photo: Andile Dlodlo

South African Broadcasting Corporation workers held a protest along the broadcaster’s main offices in Auckland Park as letters confirming retrenchments were served to the staff. Photo: Andile Dlodlo

South African Broadcasting Corporation staff members have been protesting against the broadcaster’s plan to let go of 400 workers. Photo: Andile Dlodlo

Members of the Economic Freedom Fighters supported South African Broadcaster Corporation workers protesting against looming retrenchments at the national broadcaster. Photo: Andile Dlodlo

South African Broadcaster Corporation staff took to the streets on 16 November when called for support as they prepare to undergo restructuring processes which could result in 400 workers. Photo: Andile Dlodlo

South African Federation of Trade Union (Saftu) leader Zwelinzima Vavi addressed South African Broadcaster Corporation workers during their Black Monday protest against looming retrenchments. Photo: Andile Dlodlo

SABC confirms processes are under way to retrench 400 staff members.

Employees at the South African Broadcasting Corporation now have to face a reality taken on by thousands of South Africans as they prepare themselves for retrenchments. On 11 November the national broadcaster announced that they would be implementing Section 189 of the Labour Relations Act which enables them to restructure the corporation’s human resources needs. According to the SABC, they were left with no options but to resort to letting go of workers. An SABC statement read, ‘In carefully considering all proposals from organised labour and other stakeholders, it became clear that, sadly, our organisation requires a difficult but necessary restructuring process that will result in the reduction of staff.’

SABC’s group CEO Madoda Mxakwe acknowledged that this decision will affect the livelihood of workers involved and a further knock-on effect on their families and communities but stated the SABC was left with very few options. He expressed, “We reiterate that, while this decision was not an easy one, it is regrettably a necessary one for the long-term sustainability of the SABC. An insolvent SABC serves no one, not our employees or our citizens who rely on the SABC for transparent, fair and ethical public broadcasting services.”
According to the SABC, 16 consultative sessions were held over four months adding that this period significantly exceeded the statutory minimum requirement of four meetings over two months.

All affected employees will be offered a severance package of one week for each completed year of service. Initially, the projected figure was 600 retrenchments but has been reduced to 400. The statement added, “There are approximately 170 vacant positions that will be available for employees to apply for which provides the potential of further reducing the number of affected employees to 230.”

The SABC has also made available 97 positions which will form part of a Section 197 Business Processes Outsourcing (BPO) initiative. The SABC committed themselves to implementing and exploring other cost-cutting alternatives in the near future.

The freezing of salary increases for three years, reduction of employee leave days from 35 calendar days to 28 days, discontinuing the encashment of leave days and reducing sick leave from 30 days annually to reflect the 36 days in a three-year cycle aligned to the Basic Conditions of Employment Act are some of the options already agreed on.