SABC management aims to avert strike

SABC management and the newly appointed board says they are willing to enter into wage negotiations with trade unions and staff.

This after the Communications Workers’ Union (CWU) and the Broadcasting, Electronic, Media & Allied Workers Union, (Bemawu), issued a notice of SABC workers’ intention to strike on 2 November.

Bemawu says more than 80% of its members at the public broadcaster are in favour of the strike.

The unions say non-unionised SABC workers would also be entitled to take part in it.

They’re demanding a 10% salary increase.

Bemawu’s Hannes du Buisson says they hope SABC management and the board will engage the unions in attempts to avert industrial action at the SABC.

SABC spokesperson, Kaizer Kganyago says, “All that we are now going to do is try and bring everybody together – the unions and the staff members – so we can work together. Everybody has got the right to strike, but we must understand that here is a Board that just started, it has a week in office, and in that week it has reached out to the unions to say let us talk, and while the process is happening, because we sa

id we will come back to you on the 1 November, but before we cam

e back to you, you already said we are going on a strike.”