Buying a television licence may be the right thing to do, but it might not be a guarantee that there is anything to watch if management at the SABC fails to agree on a wage settlement, a union official said on Tuesday.
Hannes du Buisson, president of the Broadcast, Electronic Media and Allied Workers’ Union, said negotiations were now deadlocked following almost three months of talks.
He said the broadcaster had offered 8,25% while union members were demanding 11%. He said increases in the past three years had ranged from 5% to 8,5% and that the gap between high-ranking executives and staff was widening.
”Our motivation is that we have been left behind, particularly over the past three years and especially in relation to top management.”
He said a meeting between the two main unions, management and the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) was scheduled for Monday. He said failure to reach a settlement there could result in a protected strike.
”People are very angry,” he said.
Tuwani Gumani, deputy president of the Media Workers’ Association of South Africa, said both unions were acting jointly in an effort to reach a settlement with management. However, he accused the SABC of attempting to cause a split between union and non-union members of staff.
”They have given them 8% while ignoring our people.”
He said if a resolution to the dispute was not found soon the national broadcaster could go off the air.
”If we have a protected strike it could mean a complete blackout.”
He said the two unions represented about two-thirds of the total staff complement at the SABC and performed many vital functions, from electrical work to reporting and presenting.
SABC spokesperson Marj Murray said she was confident the current dispute would not result in snowy television screens or silent airwaves.
”The SABC cannot be shut down. The likelihood of shutting down is almost non-existent.”
She said she did not believe there were enough unionised members to cause any meaningful breakdown in transmission. However, she said she was hopeful of a positive outcome at the CCMA.
”We are confident both parties will reach agreement.” — Sapa