The Broadcasting, Electronic, Media & Allied Workers Union (Bemawu) says the notice of Section 189 of the Labour Relations Act sent to unions by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is defective.
The notice relates to the planned retrenchments of an unspecified number of workers.
Bemawu and the Communications Workers Union (CWU) say they will use Friday’s consultative meeting with SABC management to seek clarity on the public broadcaster’s turnaround strategy.
The SABC has cited an unsustainable high salary bill as a reason for reducing the headcount.
Bemawu Spokesperson Hannes du Buisson says the notice is defective due to missing information.
“Today at 15:00 will be the first meeting in terms of Section 189. That is a consultative process and we sent a letter to the SABC where we pointed out to them that the notice is defective in terms of the Act. There are parts missing in that notice that by law the SABC must disclose. We will attend today’s meeting but with reservations. The parts missing include the number of employees the employer intends to retrench, which job categories and other issues.”
