SABC COO: Labour Court ruling ‘not a victory’ for public broadcaster

SABC COO: Labour Court ruling ‘not a victory’ for public broadcaster

SABC COO Ian Plaatjes says the decision by the Labour Court to dismiss the application by the Broadcasting, Electronic, Media and Allied Workers Union (Bemawu) is not a victory for the public broadcaster.  

A picture taken on October 20, 2010 shows the SABC (South African Broadcasting Corporation) headquarters in Johannesburg. South Africa's crisis-hit public broadcaster posted a modest profit in the first six months of the 2010 financial year after a financ
AFP

The union took the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) to court, accusing it of failing to engage in a fair process regarding its restructuring plans which could see some 400 employees lose their jobs. 


On Wednesday, the Labour Court in Johannesburg dismissed Bemawu’s application to compel the SABC to retract redundancy letters issued as part of the section 189 process. 


But the SABC says this isn’t a win-lose process. 


“We don’t see it as a victory. This is not about a win or lose, this is a very emotive process that we go through when restructuring and certainly when it’s affecting people’s jobs,” says Plaatjes. 


“We always knew that the process that we engaged in would withstand any legal scrutiny so there’s no surprises in the outcomes of the case.” 


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Bemawu believes Labour Court 'erred' in SABC ruling

The union took the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) to court, accusing it of failing to engage in a fair process regarding its restructuring plans which could see some 400 employees lose their jobs. The Labour Appeals Court in Johannesburg handed down its ruling on Wednesday morning.

The SABC maintains all due processes were undertaken before section 189 letters were issued to employees.  


He accuses Bemawu of stalling tactics, adding that this worked against its own members. 


“We gave the structures to them in August, they only came back in October in terms of starting to engage us and it was very clear that they did not share the structures with their members,” says Plaatjes.


He adds the public broadcaster has sympathy with the plight of employees and their families. 


“It’s been an up and down for them and we really do feel for them and that’s the reason why we were not going to withdraw the letters to say this is still real, this is still happening. 


“It’s impacting all of us, even management.” 


According to Plaatjes the organisation plans to assist employees even after retrenchments are finalised.   


“We are also working to see how we can assist them once they exit the organisation but those plans have not been finalised yet so I can’t go into detail with that yet.” 

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