SABC IMPLORED TO RENEGOTIATE PLANNED RETRENCHMENTS

Tue 24 November 2020:

The SABC board has been implored to return to the negotiation table with labour in an effort to preserve jobs in the broadcaster’s planned retrenchments.

This comes after Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, her deputy Pinky Kekana, and Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi, as well as other senior officials of the department met with the board of the SABC on Monday.

In a statement, the department said the meeting, which was the second in two weeks, was requested by Ndabeni-Abrahams to get an update on planned retrenchments at the SABC from the board and executive management.

“Both ministers implored the SABC board and its executive management to go back to the negotiation table with the aim of ensuring that all available opportunities are thoroughly explored prior to engaging on a retrenchment process, which must always be the last resort,” reads the statement.

The department said Ndabeni-Abrahams and Nxesi will continue to observe developments within the SABC with a keen interest to ensure that SABC continues to meet its core mandate of providing broadcasting services to the people of South Africa.

“A functional SABC is in the interest of all South Africans. I am therefore determined to support efforts aimed at finding an amicable solution to the problem,” said Minister Ndabeni-Abrahams.

The parties involved will provide further details on the way forward in due course.