SABC faces strike on eve of ANC big gig

Workers to down tools over salary increases

The cash-strapped SABC may be forced to cover the muchanticipated ANC elective conference with a skeleton staff this weekend as 3 600 workers threaten to down tools over salary increases.

This comes after its last-bid offer of a 4.5% salary increase, to be paid in four instalments up to September next year, was rejected by workers on Monday.

The public broadcaster now faces a possible “total shut down” of operations tomorrow as the two unions vowed to take to the streets.

The Communications Workers Union (CWU) and the Broadcasting, Electronic, Media & Allied Workers Union (Bemawu) will embark on a strike two days before the ANC conference in Nasrec, Johannesburg.

CWU’s general secretary Aubrey Tshabalala said: “They wanted to pay the increases in instalments with one [backdated] month being paid in February, another in March and four other months be settled in September next year.”

SABC spokesman Kaizer Kganyago said it was “regrettable” that both Bemawu and CWU members declined the SABC’s offer.

The SABC had put out an extensive plan of a rolling coverage of the ANC conference through all its radio, TV and digital platforms including on SABC2 and its 24-hour news channel.

“The SABC would like to assure the public that all the necessary measures will be put in place so that the [ANC] conference will be broadcast as planned,” Kganyago said.