Parliament’s Communications Committee will meet with three SABC unions – Communication Workers Union (CWU), Media Workers’ Association of South Africa (MWASA) and Broadcating Electronic Media & Allied Workers Union (BEMAWU) – as well as South African Federation of Trade Unions’ (SAFTU) allied union Information Communication and Technology Union (ICTU) at a hotel in Sandton on Friday morning.
The Portfolio Committee will hear presentations from the four unions about the challenges currently faced by SABC employees, probably including objections to changes made on certain stations.
Committee Chairperson Humphrey Maxegwana says it will be a normal public portfolio committee meeting with the unions. The only difference is that it happens outside parliament.
Maxegwana says MWASA, CWU, BEMAWU and ICTU are all expected to raise various concerns affecting their members as the public broadcaster.
Some of the issues the unions are expected to raise include the dismissal of some employees who were implicated in allegations of medical aid fraud and the recent restructuring that took place at some SABC radio stations and channel 404 without consultation.
Maxegwana says the committee will release a comprehensive statement after the meeting with the unions.
