The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) says it will not reverse the 6% salary increase it has given to employees for the current financial year.
The public broadcaster says the hike was part of a three-year wage agreement that was signed in 2018. That wage deal expires this year.
The SABC says it will meet with unions soon to discuss a new business model.
The public broadcaster says the 6% increment was also well below the one stipulated by National Treasury.
In the video below, wage negotiations delayed in 2018 as unions were not satisfied with government’s offer:
Board Chair, Bongumusa Makhathini, says their employees deserve an increase as they helped to turn around the public broadcaster.
“In 2018 April a Board approved a three-year agreement with the unions and that three-year agreement spoke to an increase of five percent in 2018, 6% 2019 and 6% in 2020. There is no effort on our side to reverse that and that agreement still stands. Our employees have done exceptionally well to turn around the SABC and we have honoured that agreement.”
The SABC’s response follow reports over concerns that the public broadcaster might have to turn to government for further bailout in the coming months.
The public broadcaster has not been making a profit for at least six years now.
It has been receiving financial assistance from government to stay afloat – with the last bailout made in October.
Government has so far given the SABC R2.1 billion of the R3.2 billion it promised the broadcaster, saying it would only receive the remaining R1.1 billion once it has fully met three more preconditions set by the Treasury. These include a probe into what led to the public broadcaster’s financial ruin.
The SABC had requested around R6.8 billion from government.
