- The SABC has issued a notice of “possible” redundancies.
- This is in line with a new strategy, it says.
- Union representatives hold out hope that retrenchments may not come to pass.
The South African Broadcasting Corporation has issued a notice of possible redundancies that will affect some 600 employees, it said in a statement on Thursday.
This follows consultations with key stakeholders at the public broadcaster, it added, and is in line with a new strategy aimed at “transforming the Corporation into a financially sustainable, self-sufficient and fit-for-purpose public broadcaster”.
In its statement, the broadcaster did not mention impact related to the coronavirus, which has had a severe effect on some other media organisations and state-owned enterprises.
The SABC has, however, suffered long-standing financial woes, and has received billions in government bailouts to stay afloat.
“The SABC has a duty to ensure the continued viability of the Corporation so that it may fulfill its public mandate and effectively serve the millions of South Africans who rely on it for education, information and entertainment. The notice of redundancy will impact approximately 600 employees and these affected employees will be invited to make representations during a consultation process which will be facilitated by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA)”, the SABC said.
“Organised labour as well as representatives of the non-unionised employees will be consulted within a meaningful joint consensus seeking process as mandated by Section 189 of the LRA.”
According to the SABC, the process to begin retrenchment consultations had been set in motion.
Communication Workers Union spokesperson Aubrey Tshabalala told Fin24 that the union had not yet received formal notification of a Section 189 process, but that it had been present at the meeting last week discussing the SABC’s turnaround.
He described the announcement of possible redundancies as “disturbing” and “a mistake”.
However, he said the union would await further written communication and that retrenchments may not ultimately be the outcome of the negotiations. He added that labour would not easily be “cajoled” into accepting redundancies.
In 2018, the SABC announced a restructuring process, where the jobs of 1 200 freelancers and 981 permanent employees could be affected, which was later was put on ice.
