/ 16 January 1998

Unions withdraw from transformation forum

Ferial Haffajee

The Independent Newspaper Groups ambitious transformation programme has been dealt a blow by labour protests against its plans.

All four trade unions at the groups flagship Gauteng Newspapers have resigned from the regional affirmative action monitoring committee. Sparked by a disputed appointment in the advertising department, the row has grown. Now staff allege that management did not take the committee seriously and that affirmative action plans at the group are window dressing. For now the protest appears confined to Gauteng. The South African Union of Journalists, the Media Workers Association of South Africa, the South African Typographical Union and the Independent Newspapers Staff Association resigned from the committee in December last year and will meet with management this month to consider ways of getting the committee back on track.

In a letter to management, the unions complained that the committee had met only twice in the six months of its existence and that management did not attend either of these meetings.

The newspaper house has appeared to rise to the challenge of government, which has complained again and again that the winds of transformation had somehow missed media companies. They have a fast-tracking and executive development plan in place, the highest number of black editors and a workplace-based training programme.

But some staff say this is more public relations bluster than good practice. The resignation letter also said: We are afraid the Independent Newspapers we work for does not resemble the Independent Newspapers referred to at the TRC [where the group told of its comprehensive plans for change]. Nor does it resemble the Independent Newspapers you have referred to in newspaper interviews …

Unions are pushing for another look at the affirmative action policy. They call the existing plan laissez faire and want a broad programme which reaches further into the engine rooms of the groups newspapers and includes more worker participation and training.

Independent Newspapers representative Ishmael Matlala would not discuss the resignation for fear of jeopardising negotiations. We regard the matter as internal. We are committed to the process and there are ongoing consultations, he said.