The SABC board has a fresh headache after a meeting called to discuss alternatives to job cuts with workers collapsed without discussing the issue.
The board met with communications minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams yesterday where she reiterated her position against the job cuts and asked that "other opportunities are thoroughly explored", with retrenchments considered as a last resort.
A meeting to discuss other alternatives to job cuts with unions collapsed after unions wanted to be first consulted on the new structure which they are opposing. They also demanded that retrenchment letters already issued be withdrawn immediately.
The Communications Workers Union (CWU) staged a walkout from the meeting after demanding that the SABC go back to its board and get a new mandate.
The board, after its meeting on Thursday, had asked management to halt the retrenchments for a week to discuss alternatives that could be considered instead of job losses with workers.
Mish Molakeng, Ndabeni-Abrahams spokesperson, said the minister, her deputy Pinky Kekana and labour and employment minister Thulas Nxesi met with the board to be given an update on the planned retrenchments at the SABC.
"Both ministers implored the SABC board and its executive management to go back to the negotiations table with the aim of ensuring that all available opportunities are thoroughly explored prior to engaging on a retrenchment process," Molakeng said.
An SABC management team led by COO Ian Plaatjies and Dr Mojaki Mosia, the group executive for human resources, failed to convince unions to discuss alternatives and were sent back to the board to seek a new mandate.
Sowetan has learnt that management pleaded with workers that it has no mandate to discuss any other issue except alternatives.
Unions demanded that the meetings should be "full consultations" on the rationale for the job cuts, new structure and, later, alternatives after the retrenchment notices have been withdrawn.
They also raised issues on the seven days allocated, arguing that no real engagements could be done in just the remaining four days.
Unions also demanded the days be extended so they could give their members feedback.
SABC board chairperson Bongumusa Makhathini had not responded to Sowetan's request for comment by time of print yesterday.
CWU members are already on strike, protesting against the job losses and it's supported by members of the Broadcasting, Electronic Media and Allied Workers Union (Bemawu), who join the pickets during lunch time.
Bemawu said it seems to have been accepted by the SABC that there’s a need for a joint engagement from management and unions to get input from members about the structure and alternatives.
Bemawu president Hannes du Buisson said: "We are obviously disappointed as we thought this was a genuine attempt by the SABC to consult staff, not a meeting to discuss alternatives."
Du Buisson said they hoped the board will give SABC management a "proper mandate" and also extend the period of consultation to at least a month.
Meanwhile, in a brief staff meeting held yesterday morning, ahead of the meeting with unions, group chief executive Madoda Mxakwe and Mosia announced to workers that several meetings would be held this week to engage on the retrenchments.
Mosia told workers that no new retrenchment letters would be released until the seven days had lapsed. He said the letters already issued to some of the affected employees would not be acted on for a week.
"One of the questions that we constantly receive is; what about those that have received the [retrenchment] letters who would want to respond in any way. We will not stop people from responding but we will not process those in the course of these seven days; but people can apply, consider and exercise their options," Mosia told staff.
Mosia said they would then wait for a directive from the board "on a way forward" on the retrenchments.
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