2010 Negotiations to start Now

Comrades

82 per cent have voted that salary negotiations must start early, and 64% said we must declare disputes early (as they arise). The 2010 negotiations must be fully concluded by 14 March, on which day the salaries for April should be loaded.

In light of this, parties must have concluded all Bona Fide negotiations by 12 February, in order to leave the 30 days required by law for dispute resolution. Note that - as we speak - budgeting is being done for next year.

In October, an independent arbitrator will rule on the agreements the CWU made with SABC regarding housing subsidy, car subsidy, post retirement benefits, canteen subsidy, gym allowance, bursaries, leave, and other substantive matters.

We should be ready to defend these - and for that, we need a powerful bargaining lobby. Recruit, comrades, recruit! The CWU (at 2008 CEC) aims to enter into agreements with smaller unions, to extend bargaining power.

We need to bring "freelancers" on board post haste - as we believe most freelancers are actually full time employees. The SABC should be forced to process 900 scale dues as well, and include this very important group in our bargaining unit. UASA has signed up 100's of freelancers already - there is no reason we can't do the same.

Please comment - let us get this going - waiting for next year will be a mistake.

SOS Campaign Board Nominations

The “Save our SABC” Campaign representing a number of trade unions; independent producer organisations; a host of NGOs and CBOs; and a number of academic and independent experts have nominated the following people:
COSATU: Kid Sithole, Cedric Gina, Jane Barrett, David Niddrie, Peter Harris, Ben Ngubane, Barbara Masekela, Felleng Sekha, Desmond Golding, Nono Simelela, Yasmin Sooka, Brenda Madumane, Clifford Motsepe, FEDUSA: Prof. Bucker, FXI: Dave Lewis, Ahmed Bawa, Peter Harris, Felleng Sekha, William Gumede, Devan Pillay, John Matisonn, Tanja Bosch, Janine Moolman FXN: William Gumede, Mazibuko Jara, CWU: Jane Duncan CWUSA: Kid Sithole, Dumisani Mphatsoe IPO: David Lewis, Ben Ngubane, Barbara Masekela, Isaac Shongwe, Suzanne Vos, David Niddrie MMA: Lumko Mtimde, Misa- SA Yasmin Sooka, Jeanette Minnie, SA Screen Fed.: Ben Ngubane, David Lewis, Barbara Masekela, David Niddrie, Suzanne Vos, Devan Pillay, Peter Harris, Jane Barrett.

The Coalition broadly supports these nominations. However, we plan to meet in the near future to discuss the nominations in more detail. Also, a number of our members have not as yet submitted their nominations. We would like to include their input. Finally, the Coalition would like to see the full list of names submitted to Parliament. We request that you make this available to us. We may want to include a few further endorsements of nominations made by other organisations. Thanks for your assistance.


Yours sincerely


Working Group: Save our SABC Campaign

Post Mortem

Dear Members

The courage of CWU and MWASA members in defending their mandate was second to none! The SABC is now already a much better place to work than a scant few months ago. Rule by fear and division is on the decline, and Worker Unity on the rise. Viva!

For now, because so much time has passed, we have to temporarily end the suffering of so many families due to shockingly low salaries. Our leaders have rightly now been mandated to take what is being offered for the time being, without prejudicing our rights.

Here are the methods used by the SABC to fatigue our members into signing:

1. Gross and illegal short payment of 12.2%, causing mounting debts, as food inflates 16%.

2. Neglect by all to consider a scientific strategy of Closing the Wage Gap.

3. Illegally taking away the right to do extra work for other departments to make ends meet.

4. Illegally stopping selling of leave.

5. Dishonoring an agreement made 3 years ago to increase housing, food subsidy, gym subsidy and much more.

6. The members dedication to providing the public with continuous service, even under the most trying conditions.

It was a long, hard fight, and we made BIG gains.

We could have fared better had we prioritised our relationship with other unions and freelancer organisations, as they did manage to keep some services going in the short term. We have no doubt that a longer period of witholding our labour would prove that the SABC can not do without us in the long run - we are specialists in what we do.

That is proven by how hard we currently work to catch up, and fix the mess the freelancers made in just two days.

EVEN BETTER NEXT YEAR:
We ask that a better way forward be vigorously debated here, so that all the reasons for this years no-so-good result, not be repeated next year.

Please do not hold back - it is better to debate sensibly here than on the SABC corporate e-mail.

Please encourage all members to join this debate - it is essential that we all learn from mistakes of the past, and build a better future for all of us, strenghthened by experience. VIVA!

Please make constructive comments, and use the voting facility.

Make ALL the selections FIRST - then only press "vote" (YOU ONLY HAVE ONE VOTE) - to show what you think will work next time round.

SABC Negotiators Fail to Hear Reason

The Top Level CWU Negotiations Team today has made some scientific, well-considered and affordable suggestions to the SABC to broker a deal our members could live with.

Considering what the SABC is asking the honest, hard working members of CWU to do:

1. Live with the fact that personal debts keep mounting up while the SABC saves a bit of interest payment by witholding the worker increment. Workers must pay interest on more expensive credit each day - that's reality.

2. Ultimately, to agree to (meekly) bear the consequences of money wasted by an irresponsible and uncaring management team, by accepting a 2.2% drop in salary.

3. Forget that a R400 per month increase housing subsidy was promised in 2006 already, but not yet implemented 3 years later.

4. Forget that the Post Retirement Benefits should have been re-instated.

5. Forget that only friends and hired girfriends of management has received any promotions and increases in the past 10 years. Obscene promotions, and obscene increases. Suspending only two perpetrators is only a drop in the ocean

6. Forget that people who have no idea how to provide information, education and entertainment to the public, cost the public 7 figures annually - EACH!

7. Forget that the people in the paragraph above, employ several hired "girlfriends" each, who do little more than entertain the boss - at great cost to viewers and listeners - in staff morale and money.

7.1 Collectively, each of the abovementioned fat cats cost the public around 5 million each per month, for themselves, their lifestyles, their unecessary first class travelling, 5 star hotels, fancy food, and their paid young "girlfriends" who provide nothing but carnal favours.

7.2 Arrogantly, even though all and sundry calls for their suspension and investigation, they keep wasting these funds.

Comrades, we will meet on Friday for a way forward. The time has come to decide whether those that have been allowed for so long, to milk our beloved Public Broadcaster dry, should continue to be allowed to do so. Taking away R500 per month each from them in DSTV allowances just does not seem enough of a measure. The Board is wrong to expect us to carry this heavy burden for them. We insist the Board undertakes to pay us our money and our interest - or a settlement figure that makes sense. R2000 a month for the 1000 CWU members is a reasonable and acceptable figure - at justR24m (a hundredth of the salary budget), it is less than what is spent to maintain just 25 of the young "girlfriends". It is time some learn that public money is not there to pay for their carnal pleasures, but to retain real, honest, and hard working broadcasting specialists, like us.

Please attend the meeting on Friday - prepare to defend what is right.

CWU member Proposal

The members of CWU have full confidence in our President, who is heading up our team to get the best possible deal for us. The SABC has now realised how important we are as workers.

The moment we receive news, we shall post it here. Keep checking in, comrades.

We have been informed that the negotiations are going very well - our struggle will pay off, comrades. Well done!

1. OBJECTIVE
1.1 To secure the annual general salary adjustment for unionised employees in the Bargaining Unit for the financial year 2009/10, and to secure the SABC's ability to meet its obligations.

2. SCOPE OF APPLICATION

2.1 This agreement will be applicable to Employees who are Members in good standing of Communication Workers Union, within the bargaining unit (scale codes 300-409 and 600).

2.2 The scope of this agreement excludes scale code 900 employees, on condition that they are certified as Bona Fide Ad Hoc Freelancers.

3. SALARY ADJUSTMENT

3.1 CWU members in the bargaining unit will receive ten per cent (10%) salary adjustment across the board (ATB) for the financial year 2009/10, back paid to 1 April 2009 with interest calculated at 10%p.a.

3.2 The referred to salary adjustment and interest payment will be effected within five (5) days of the signing of this agreement.

3.3 A further 2.2% increase, backdated with interest, to 1 April 2009 shall be paid to CWU members by latest 31 January 2010, or soon as the SABC has secured a bail-out package from Government or overdraft facility to enable the payment. The CWU undertakes to assist the SABC in regaining credit health, by supporting a full scale effort at recovering all funds lost due to wasteful expenditure. See 6.4 - 6.7.

4. DATE OF IMPLEMENTATION

4.1 This agreement shall come into effect on the date of signature hereof and shall remain in force until 31 March 2010, unless otherwise agreed to by the parties hereto in writing.

5. STATUS OF AGREEMENT

5.1 This agreement supplements the outstanding agreements previously made on substantive issues.

6. FURTHER AGREEMENTS

The SABC undertakes to:

6.1 Extend the petrol / garage card benefits currently enjoyed by senior management to all CWU members in the Bargaining Unit.

6.2 Extend the DSTV allowances currently enjoyed by Top & Senior Managers to all CWU Members in the Bargaining Unit.

6.3 Equitably make available Newspapers to all employees - no individual deliveries.

6.4 Fully support and comply with the investigation currently being conducted by the Auditor General, but to add 2 extra people on the team:
- 6.4.1 An auditor of the CWU's choice, as well as
- 6.4.2 A democratically elected Trade Union Representative.

6.5 Request the team in 6.4 supra, to review all cases of CWU Shop Stewards who engaged in Collective Bargaining with their management, and was subsequently fired, suspended or disciplined by that same management, with the goals of:
- 6.5.1 Reversing the adverse effects on SABC of such victimisation / silencing, and
- 6.5.2 Making those Shop Stewards and members available to contribute to the investigations.

6.6 Make available to the public, the Shareholder, the Board and the CWU, for inspection, all audit recommendations for the past 10 years, both internal and external.

6.7 Sue and criminally prosecute, where applicable, all employees who is suspected of having fruitlessly and wastefully spent the SABC's money.

6.8 The Team in 6.4 supra, shall transparently, on the last working day of each month, report the progress of wasteful expenditure recovery to the CWU, in order for it to be informed at what point the SABC has the extra R20million to cover the 2.2%.

6.9 If by 1 December 2009, the team in 6.4 supra has not been able to recover at least R20million, the short payment shall then be referred to the Shareholder on that date.

6.9 Re-instate selling of leave with immediate effect, even if the amount of leave days sold is limited to 3 days a month at first.

Questionable agreement

CWU, MWASA and many disgruntled members of an individual (????????) - who believes same individual used unconstitutional, secret, and unmonitored "SMS voting" as a tool to protect a corrupt management - strongly objects to the opportunism in clause 6.2 especially, as well as over the legality of the so-called "SMS" mandate, for which there are no constitutional grounds. We call on all members who used to be fooled by this undemocratic individual to join real unions with definite, legal, and constitutional collective bargaining records.

Here is the "agreement".

MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT ENTERED INTO BETWEEN
THE SOUTH AFRICAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION LIMITED
( HEREINAFTER REFERRED TO AS "THE SABC" )
AND
???????

1. OBJECTIVE

1.1 To provide for the annual general salary adjustment for employees for the financial year 2009/10.

2. SCOPE OF APPLICATION

2.1 This agreement will be applicable to:

2.2.1 Employees who are employed by the SABC falling within the bargaining unit (scale codes 300-409) and those employees appointed in terms of fixed term contracts (scale code 600) falling within the bargaining unit;

2.2.2 Who are members in good standing of ??????; and

2.2 The scope of this agreement excludes employees employed in terms of fixed terms contracts (scale code 900 ).

3. SALARY ADJUSTMENT

3.1 ??????? members in the bargaining unit as referred to in clause 2 above, will receive eight point five (8.5) % (percent) salary adjustment across the board (ATB) for the financial year 2009/10 and back paid to 1 April 2009; and

3.2 The referred to salary adjustment will be effected within five (5) days upon signing of this agreement.

4. DATE OF IMPLEMENTATION

4.1 This agreement shall come into effect on the date of signature hereof and shall remain in force until 31 March 2010, unless otherwise agreed to by the parties hereto in writing.

5. STATUS OF AGREEMENT

5.1 The parties furthermore agree that this agreement will constitute an amendment to the provisions of the Multi Term Agreement dated 8 July 2008 and therefore does not impact on the validity of the provisions of the Multi Term Agreement referred to above in any other manner.

6. FURTHER CONDITIONS

6.1 The parties furthermore specifically agree as follows:

6.1.1 The demand from ??????? for an additional one point

five (1.5) % salary increment to be effected, is subject to SABC

Board feedback in this regard and same will be given to ??????? on Friday 31 July 2009;

6.1.2 That the parties will negotiate on how the remaining two point two (2.2) % salary increment could be utilised in respect of ???????? members.

6.1.3 That the SABC agrees to follow process to:

6.1.3.1 Scale down the petrol card and maintenance of car expenses of Top & Senior Managers;

6.1.3.2 Scale down on DSTV allowances for Top & Senior Managers to employees that really need it for the execution of their duties;

6.1.3.3 Scale down on free newspapers for Top & Senior Managers to employees that really need it for the execution of their duties;

6.1.3.4 Review the processes mentioned in 6.1.3.1 to 6.1.3.3, on an ongoing basis, with a view to restoring or phasing out the benefits completely, subject to the financial well being of the SABC and the availability of funds.

6.1.3.4 That the SABC will take immediate action in terms of the Public Finance Management Act to sue and to criminally prosecute, where applicable employees guilty of fruitless and wasteful expenditure including fraud, theft and other unauthorized financial losses.

6.1.4 That the investigation currently being conducted by the Auditor General to continue to its logic conclusion and that the parties will at all times co-operate in this regard. All outstanding Internal Audit Reports will also receive management’s urgent attention and action;

6.1.5 ?????? agrees to provisionally withdraw the dispute referred to the CCMA in respect of the salary increases which has been set down for 12 August 2009. Should the SABC be in breach of any of the clauses of this agreement, the parties agree that ??????? may re-enroll its dispute for arbitration as per the current referral to the CCMA for arbitration;

6.1.6 Should the feedback from the SABC Board be that the SABC will not effect a further one point five (1.5) % then BEMAWU has the right to proceed with its dispute set down for 12 August 2009 at the CCMA to effect the full twelve point two (12.2)%.

6.2 Should any other employee receive a better increase or better conditions as reflected in this agreement, those better increases and/or condition(s) will be extended automatically to ??????? members as well.

7. INTERPRETATION AND APPLICATION

7.1 In the event of any conflict between the provisions of this agreement and any other agreement, the provisions of this agreement shall take precedence; and

7.2 No amendments to this agreement shall be in force unless reduced to writing and signed by the parties.

8. DISPUTE RESOLUTION

8.1 Should there be a dispute about the interpretation or application of this agreement, any party may refer the dispute to the Council for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) for adjudication.

Disrespectful SABC now feels the brunt of Worker Frustration

Our members (Communication Workers Union) in both Telkom and SABC has run out of patience and have requested their national leadership to allow them to bring forward the Strike Programme of Action against these two employers.

As a result of this legitimate frustration, CWU members in the SABC will be “Staying Away” from work on the 29th and 30th of July 2009, countrywide. Our leadership welcomes this show of militancy and worker control principle by the members of our organisation.

The two day stay away will be followed by other forms of industrial action from the beginning of August 2009 till the SABC respect and implement the multi-term salary agreement.

CWU and its members are determined to force the “Public Broadcaster” to respect agreements and to priorities workers plight to win back the much needed loyalty and dedication the employer need from its employees.

Prepare for 11 August March - joint Telkom and SABC

THE PROGRAM OF ACTION AGAINST SABC & TELKOM
Actions will include “picketing”; “go slow” and “overtime ban” from the 29 July 2009 till the 10th August 2009. On the 11th August 2009, CWU’s members will embark on national marches to submit memorandums to the SABC and Telkom respectively.
The union will then embark on the next phases of the protected strike action, which will include national “stay aways” and other form of action.

Khanyi Mkonza - Former Board Chair Open Letter (Times)

To accuse the outgoing board of bringing the curtain down on the SABC shows lack of insight. People find it convenient to fault my board without looking at all the things we did to lift the lid on a lot of rot and to expose the rampant looting of resources by several people.
SABC employees and organised labour played a significant role in this exposure. Had the parliamentary committee on communications played its oversight role properly, it would have been alert to the fact that we averted a deficit budget last year.
While we argue, the SABC continues to lose its status as one of the leading and possibly the only true public broadcaster on the continent.
In the midst of major political upheaval against my board, we exposed a lot of wrongdoing at the SABC.
I consider members of the outgoing board to be very courageous leaders, as no one without courage could have stood against the pressure that we faced in the last 18 months.

1st AGM of SABC Employees Forum Announced Soon

The Working Committee of the SABC Employees Forum will soon annouce the date and place for its 1st AGM.

For now, please comment below with nominations for Chair, Dep Chair, Secretary and Treasurer.

Vision
Free and Sustainable Broadcasting for All

Mission
To unify all persons who add value to broadcasting in a professional manner

Values
Honesty * Professionalism * Freedom of Expression * Responsibility

IMPORTANT NOTE: This unity initiative in no way undermines any of the unions! SEF encourages all employees to join one of the unions at the SABC! We support a Closed Agency Agreement, where non union members should pay fees to the Bargaining Forum, to eliminate free rides.

Please do not resign any union membership in favour of SEF, a Professional Society for Public Broadcasters. We try not to "confuse" union leaders.

The largest union (CWU) actively seeks alliances with other unions. Together, we all care about the same thing: Proper recognition for valuable public broadcasting professionals.

SABC Board Member Nomination Deadline 14 August

Dear SABCers - please nominate people you know will ensure we have a sustainable, free and honest workplace in the future. Please submit CV's of Board Members to Noluthando Skaka at nskaka@parliament.gov.za

SABC can be Great again

SABCers congratulates Special Assignment for proving the SABC is indeed capable of making a difference.

Harare, 19 July 2008 - C/Insp. Cuthbert Mandere defied a court order instructing him to investigate allegations that D/Insp. Moyo of the Gwanda Law and Order section heavily assaulted Bhekinkosi Nkomo (28) and Sayanai Muchechese (26) of Beitbridge Prison.

The two Prison Officers were accused of smuggling Special Assignment reporters into Beitbridge Prison, to produce a documentary about conditions in Zimbabwe’s jails that showed prisoners suffering from severe malnutrition.

Nkomo and Muchechese were immediately charged with contravening the Official Secrets Act, but the charges were dropped for lack of evidence. Nkomo and Muchechesi then made a complaint to the court saying they were badly assaulted by Moyo.

The Court ordered C/Insp. Cuthbert Mandere to investigate the charges against Moyo, which he neglected to do. He has now been charged with Contempt of Court. The tide of justice in Zimbabwe is finally turning, all thanks to a group of brave reporters whom we are proud to call our colleagues.

Time to prove who keeps the SABC running

It is a proven fact that the SABC runs like a well-oiled machine at night and on weekends - without top management! The time has come that they now try to run the machine on their own.
The ultimatum period has passed - without positive answers.

We have seen no indication that top management is trying to cut its own costs, and the SABC continues to lose around R100 million each month.

There is therefore no choice but to prove that it is the Broadcast Workers and Caring Managers that keep the SABC going.

Not top management, their friends, expensive girlfriends, and their friend's expensive girlfriends. We insist that the SABC implements the only solution left to it. Cut expenditure, and stop the waste by suspending and investigating the wasteful managers.

Only then will we return to work and get our beloved SABC running again - better than ever!

Open letter to SABC Board Chairperson

Dear Ms Irene Charnley, Interim Chairperson of SABC Board

Kindly note that this is written to you on behalf of, and mandated by, the majority of unionised employees at the SABC, whatever their affiliation. Our administrators have included a confirmation widget for members to visibly confirm this letter.

Yesterday's march, attended by half of the union members at Auckland Park (we have an exact count, using our photos), with the other half caringly keeping our critical services going, to minimise financial impact. Should we have asked them to join us, it might have caused a break in transmission, and we did not want that right now.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• COSATU, FEDUSA, CWU, CWUSA, FXI, SOLA, TVIEC and others in the SOS Coalition has made it clear they do not endorse the new Interim Board, until further notice, and particularly because their nominees was ignored by a very hasty Parliament.
• The above means that the conduct of each board member will be monitored closely by the Shop Stewards of the above, as there is no clear endorsement from our federations.
• We fully realise that you were a practiced and skilled negotiator with the National Union of Mineworkers, another COSATU affilliate. This in no way should lead you to believe your conduct will now be under less scrutiny than that of any other board member.

OUR SERIOUS CONCERNS (The Unionised Staff of the SABC)

We are seriously concerned over the following events of the past two days:

1. Our chosen point of contact, the secretariat of the CWU Head Office, wrote a letter to the SABC, responding to an invitation for a meeting with your good selves.
2. The response politely, but clearly, declined your invitation, as it was on very short notice.
3. Notwitstanding this, the SABC still deemed it fit to invite some union members and junior officials to the meeting with you.
4. We now state, without ambiguity, that the two meetings you've had (with what the SABC may now describe as "with the unions"), was in fact unprocudural.
5. It's our understanding that the members that did attend, were there for information purposes only.
6. This perturbs us. You repeated to them the same words that the SABC EXCO have repeated to us Ad Nauseam for such a long time: "We only have 8.5%."

We are now very concerned that you seem not to understand us. Please therefore allow us to make ourselves very clear:

We know the SABC only left 8.5%" in our Salary Account.

We want the rest of our promised 12.2% to be returned by the individuals who removed it from our Salary Account.

They had NO right to raid our Salary Account. It is a worker's most treasured right - to be paid his agreed upon salary. Anything less is clearly frowned upon by the law authorities - so much so that heavy fines are imposed for short payments.

No amount of "economic hardship" can justify anyone taking money out of a worker's Salary Account. It is as taboo as robbing a grave.

We've allowed the SABC to open negotiations on this matter. In the interests of Good Faith bargaining, we've levelled a simple request - please safeguard our Salary Account for the future.

This would mean suspending all those who are suspected of having squandered the money in our Salary Account, to be investigated and procedurally charged - using the existing Audit Reports. If needed, they must be procecuted, and their assets attached for return of the money to our Salary Account.

Up to date, we have had no success with EXCO to get this legal request to ensure Good Faith bargaining fulfilled.

We now call upon you to please not meet with junior officials on an Ad Hoc basis.

Our elected Official point of contact is Comrade Gallant Roberts, the General Secretary of the Communication Workers Union.

Kindly extend a proper invitation to him - with a proper time period allowed - to enable us, via the CWU Secretariat (which has been democratically elected by us to co-ordinate) both at this plant and at the CWU HQ, to consolidate our agenda points properly.

We aim to input constructively, with the aims of safeguarding not only the future of the SABC, but the entire Broadcast Industry, which employs around 100 000 people.

The meeting, when it does happen, promises to clarify many things that have been muddied by haphazard meetings at short notice.



Our position remains one of Good Labour Relations

The Unionised Staff of the SABC, via the hand of the CWU Secretariat.

Nominations: Appointment of SABC Board Members

The Portfolio Committee on Communications invites the public to make nominations for the appointment of 12 non-executive members to the Board of the South African Broadcasting Corporation Limited, in terms of the Broadcasting Act (No 4 of 1999).Requirements: Members of the Board, when viewed collectively, must be persons who:

Are suited to serve on the Board by virtue of their qualifications, expertise and experience in the fields of broadcasting policy and technology, broadcasting regulation, media law, business practice and finance, marketing, journalism, entertainment and education, as well as social and labour issues

Are committed to fairness, freedom of expression, the right of the public to be informed, as well as openness and accountability on the part of those holding public office

Represent a broad cross-section of the population of the Republic

Are committed to the objectives and principles as enunciated in the Charter of the SABC.

Written nominations must contain:
The full name, address and contact numbers of the person or organisation making the nomination
A signed acceptance of the nomination by the nominee
A Curriculum Vitae of the nominee, providing the following information:
- Full name, ID number and gender - Latest address, contact and fax numbers- Previous experience, quoting dates and organisations or institutions concerned - Academic qualifications.Appointment process: The Committee intends to short-list candidates, conduct interviews and present its findings to the National Assembly for recommendation to the President.Nominations can be emailed to Noluthando Skaka at nskaka@parliament.gov.za by no later than 31 July 2009 before 12: 00 noonEnquiries: Tel. (021) 403-3751Issued by Mr I Vadi, MP: Chairperson: Portfolio Committee on Communications

Guess who said this?

"Our policy is to reform, but we are not prepared to abdicate".

OK, so no one got the answer. It was Pieter Willem "PW" Botha, just 3 months before he and his opressive regime was toppled.

Let us hope don't have to wait so long...

K1 Auditorium, Monday 12:00 - 13:00

Kindly alert all union members that we will attend a feedback and way forward meeting on Monday, 13 June, at 12:00, in K1 Auditorium. Should there still be a need to picket at 13:00, we shall then do so. Should there no longer be a need, we shall celebrate over lunch.

We thank Hannes from Bemawu for the update as follows:
Management officially tabled the following offer with the delegates:

Scale 405-409=10,25%,
401-404=9,75%,
300=9,25%
all backdated to 1 April.

We have no information regarding our demand for safeguarding our salary account (for next year and the year thereafter).

That can only be achieved once the existing forensic audit reports are acted upon. We see at least some in News Department have finally been considered serious enough by management to suspend those under investigation, at SABC News International. It means the staff there will be less fearful now, and a deep investigation may now proceed peacefully.

Ben's personal opinion (please comment on this):
In principle, a small gesture towards closing the wage gap is always welcome in any Labour Movement, as it is an International Labour Principle. However, it should be noted that for an average 404 employee (ave: R13 250 per month), it will only mean R1291 per month extra (R950 after tax). It that what we have been fighting for?

The above is my personal opinion. I just don't think it is enough. OK, now you guys know my salary. Luckily you don't know my name.

Minister MUST resolve

The "EXCO" seem to be making all kinds of creative plans to try and fool SABC Organised Labour Members into accpeting that their salary account has been looted, and they must keep quiet about it.

We are saying to Government, Cabinet and Parliament:

1. This is your doing - you put the looters here
2. You must remove the looters from us, we can not afford the losses they keep incurring
3. You should pay us what was taken from us - we are not responsible for the looting
4. You should do your best to get the Assets Forfeiture Unit to retrieve the loot (after due process)

Mr Minister - please act today! We do not want to take this to the streets if you can do the right thing today. But if you do not, we will have the first full blown strike in the history of the SABC!

It is very simple do do what we ask:

Much of the audit is already complete. The looters are now trying to cover it up (and have been for a while). All that is needed, is political will to bring the looters to book and retrieve the loot.

Please watch us picket today - we are serious about this.

To the picketers - we have asked some of our comrades to take pictures, and we will award the winner on this blog this evening!

- ps: Please let us have comments on what Cde Rian is saying about the Interkom logo. Some of us were not here at that time. We need information on who the Intercom logo belongs to, so we can officially respond.

"Interkom/Intercom" belongs to staff

Dear Comrades, Brothers and Sisters

Note that, using the SABC breakfast program, an unprocedural communication was made to staff, regarding a "subject to approval" 1.5% that may (or may not be), available in October.

We are also aware of a communication from a certain individual in Corporate Communications, who claim we are "mischievious" by forwarding mails that come from one of their staff members.

We have placed on record that no communication from the much abused mouthpiece of EXCO (an email adress named "corporate communications" can be trusted any longer. We also note that 90% of staff in any case delete mail from that address without reading it. Those records were available from the IT department, until the senders stopped requesting "read receipts".

Note that the logos "Interkom" and "Intercom" are the intellectual property of the staff of the SABC. A contest was launched in the last century, to get a new name for the "staff magazine". Individuals who now suddenly call themselves the owners of the logo "Interkom/Intercom" would be well advised to go and check who created the name, and so establish which "individuals" it really belongs to. The creators of the name/logo/brand selflessly then allowed all SABC staff to share in this Intellectual Property "Interkom". The moral owner of the logo (SABC staff) now demand that the individual who has access to the e-mail address named "corporate communications", desist from abusing our logo, and hand it back to the staff, to whom it legally belongs.

IGNORE FALSE CONTENT OF EMAILS

There was, for example, the communication in June 2008, that stated our salaries would be 12.2% more from 1 April 2009. That turned out to be misleading. Clearly then, no communication from that source should be allowed by the SABC.

We call on SABC BIT department to deny that department access to our e-mail system, as false information cause serious disruption.

This offer was not made to our leaders in a properly constituted bargaining forum.

Clearly EXCO is continuing with what they have resolved to do when they made it clear to labour court the day after we got our Strike Certificate - Refuse to Bargain.

We are certain that the (real) SABC does not agree with this reprehensible conduct by EXCO.

At the moment, the (real) SABC's only representative is the Minister of Comminications, at least until such time the President signs the (Interim) Board into place.

When we picket today, between 13:00 and 14:00, know you are lobbying the Minister.

Exco does not represent the SABC. A motion of no confidence in "EXCO" was tabled by the SABC Organised Labour Alliance on 2 June 2009.

Kindly ignore all messages from entities named "Corporate Communications", as well has any letters from "EXCO".

Kindly only trust communications coming from the Minister, the SABC Board, or the SABC Organised Labour Alliance.

Ours position remains one of Good Labour Relations

SABC Organised Labour Alliance

Well done - Friday Picket will be even bigger!

On Friday, between 13:00 and 14:00, we would appreciate if you could create pickets pleading to the minister to please come and hear us. We've seem some excellent pickets today. On Friday, we shall take photos, and the best picket will win an award!

The much awaited meeting with the Minister today never happened. Organised Labour has been pleading for a proper sit-down with the Minister for quite some time now.

OUR DEMANDS:

External, Independant Audit
We want to know how our salary account got emptied, and we want to know it fully - from a trusted external auditor (unconnected to government). We can't trust strange investigators.
There are good external auditors on SABC suppliers list (who've been sidelined when they started uncovering this rot). We only have trust in those with a good track record of rooting out high level corruption, mismanagement and white collar crime.

The monies we are owed
We want our salary account to be safe! We have, along with the SMF, no confidence in the current EXCO, as we have been lied to so much.
The Post Retirement benefits, the 3 year old promise of increased housing, expanded car subsidies, and so many more promises has never been honored.


Message to the Ministry
To the Right Honourable General Siphiwe Nyanda: Please appoint a trusted, independant auditor today! Everyone is calling for that - even EXCO. Please sir, we have to stop this ongoing flood of wasteful expenditure! We are very concerned that even our reduced salary will also disappear into "creative accounting" and weird budgeting.

Please, Mr Minister. We are now picketing in our thousands, and right now we choose to do so without disrupting services.

Please hear us - before we will have no other choice but to demonstrate our value - by witholding our scarce and valuable skills in full.

8.5% is NOT YET 10% Offer

The SABC's flagship program, Morning Live, this morning announced that an offer of 10% has now been made to unions.

Apparently this is not so - the delegates fed back to us that no such offer was made. "Management" said they still have to "go look" for the extra 1.5%.

This begs the question: What if management does "find" the extra 1.5%?

It is becoming increasingly interesting - if not mildly amusing - to observe how management magically "finds" extra money - every few days. We would have smiled if it was not so sad.

Just 34 days ago, this same management looked us straight in the eye and claimed that after much searching, they ONLY have between 6 and 7% left to give us as a salary increase.

Where did they misplace it? In the ceiling? Under their beds? Swiss account?

They, our beloved managers, are however no longer capable of surprising us.

Should we now thank management for looting "only" 2.2% out of our salary account, instead of the 3.7% they were planning to loot a week ago? Or the 5.2% they wanted to loot 2 weeks ago?

We believe they should loot nothing. We believe they should bring back everything they have looted, pay us what they legally owe us, and then leave.

As always, our position is one of Good Labour Relations

SABC Organised Labour Alliance.