The Broadcasting, Electronic, Media and Allied Workers Union (Bemawu) and the Communications Workers Union (CWU) have unveiled plans for industrial action at the SABC. It includes a motorcade to the Union Buildings, a go-slow and a 4-hour blackout on Friday.
Both unions had virtual meetings with their members on Monday. The public broadcaster is pushing ahead with plans to retrench over 300 permanent employees and have already issued redundancy or surplus letters to affected staff.
CWU General Secretary Aubrey Tshabalala says the protest action will comply with lockdown regulations and won’t put members at risk of contracting the coronavirus.
“We should be cautious of the spread of the coronavirus. It will be a motorcade, which will leave SABC on Wednesday morning. We will be driving to the Union Buildings. When we arrive there, a person will be receiving a memorandum from the Presidency. Which will be followed by action such as go-slow on Thursday and a massive blackout on Friday between 11am to 3pm. As long as SABC has not responded positively to our demands, later in the day we will unfold programmes going forward.”
The SABC says the ‘No work, no pay’ principle will apply to workers who go on strike.
The CWU on Sunday issued a notice to the public broadcaster to resume strike action over the retrenchment of over 300 permanent staff.
The SABC says the strike won’t include independent contractors and that it has made contingency plans to stay on air.
Bemawu, last month, lost its bid to compel the SABC to retract redundancy letters issued as part of its restructuring process.
The Labour Court dismisses Bemawu’s application:
