The protest by workers from the Mpumalanga SABC affiliated to trade unions, Communications Workers Union (CWU) and the Broadcasting Electronic Media & Allied Workers Union (Bemawu) will not affect the daily shows on-air.
The workers are picketing outside the SABC offices in Mbombela and are demanding a 10 percent salary increase instead of the 4.5 percent offered by the employer.
“We knew about the protest and we had already made the necessary arrangements. In the agreement that we have with the employees, they are supposed to inform us in advance.
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We have 19 radio stations and three television stations. According to the reports we received, only three in the country were affected,” said SABC communications manager, Mr Kaizer Kganyago.
According to the listeners of Kusile Mzansi Breakfast Show, DJ Madumane was not on air and Mduduzi “Iron” Ntiwane was presenting the show this morning. The Asambe Afternoon Drive Show presenter, DJ Shabba was also among those that did not report for duty today.
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According to one of the employees at the Mpumalanga SABC who is known to the newspaper, the public broadcaster is currently using managers to do the daily shows and most of them are simply playing music.
Kganyago said that the workers that downed tools are both freelancers and permanent workers.
“We did not categorise them according to whether they are permanent or not, it is any person that does not report for duty and is part of the protest,” he said.
Mr Pat Nkosi from the Communication Workers Union (CWU) said that the 4,5 percent increase that was offered is an insult to the workers. “We will continue picketing until they give us what we want and we are open for negotiations. They were first offered a zero percent increase. When we started
negotiations, they then offered 4,5 percent, however, according to us, that’s disrespectful. It is the festive season and our children need new clothes. We have heard that the Board was offered bonuses.”
Meanwhile, in Limpopo and Gauteng, workers have also downed tools and they have the same demands.
Click to watch workers picketing outside the SABC offices in Mbombela :
