The Broadcasting, Electronic, Media and Allied Workers’ Union (BEMAWU) has vowed to oppose the appointment of an external restructuring team for the SABC.
The team, which will be led by a chief restructuring officer, is one of the preconditions for funding for the public broadcaster.
So far, retrenchments are not prescribed as part of Treasury’s preconditions. The SABC has also refuted reports that it will cut 33% of its staff and close some regional offices.
BEMAWU President, Hannes du Buisson, says the union has not been consulted about Treasury’s preconditions and has called on the SABC to clarify what the restructuring entails.
“There is restructuring in those preconditions. It could mean anything – it could mean retrenchments, we don’t know at this point it time. It seems as if some external team from the Department of Communications is going to move into the SABC – this is how we practically see this – and they are going to restructure the SABC and that is an absolute no, it can never happen. It creates a concern that the SABC is seemingly doing away with permanent workers, which they want to replace with freelance workers and that is something that we will never allow.”
