What next...

So Mkhonza has resigned as Chairperson, (yipeeee!!!) but not from the Board :-((

This is not sufficient. She must GO! She is responsible for the turmoil at the SABC and the sorry state we currently find ourselves in. She should have enquired about implementation of salaries, etc. a long time ago. She should have asked on a monthly basis a report in respect of the finances of the SABC from the CFO. Maybe it was difficult to hear the employees begging for an increase whilst listening to Jazz music at the same time.

However, she is not alone. The Board, so we are told, is a collective.

What about the incompetent top management? Those who managed us into a position short of bankruptcy?

SALARIES
BEMAWU will be at the CCMA on the 15th of June for conciliation. We will then take a final decision in respect of the route to follow to protect our member's rights. We believe we will refer the matter to arbitration.

VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE
Following yesterday's serious intimidation and threats to discipline and dismiss members who went down yesterday in their lunchtime to witness the handing over of a memorandum to the SABC by independent producers we AGAIN hereby put a vote of no confidence in the head of what is called Employee Relations (nogal) Mr. Andre Weber and Dr. Pat Naves, head of Human Resources. We are sick and tired of Mr Weber and Dr. Naves victimising, harassing and threatening our members. We are sick and tired of the sorry state the SABC Human Resources finds itself in under the leadership of Dr. Naves. There is NO career progression structure or plan. An employee cannot, according to her, be regraded. They must apply for re-evaluation of their positions. What nonsense! What happened to performance and reward for same? We have members sitting for years on the same scale code because they cannot be regraded according to Dr. Naves. This must stop!

Please give us an employee friendly employee relations practitioner - not someone acting like a Gestapo commander that is out to ALWAYS prosecute, harass and screw employees where he can. Both other unions have put a vote of no confidence in Mr Weber and has complained about his behaviour. (Mr. Weber: "I'm only following orders!") Reality is - you do not have to follow order if they are unreasonable and unlawful. It is unlawful to intimidate employees when they want to exercise their constitutional rights in their lunch time (not working time) and to threaten them with disciplinary action. Why do YOU leave work every day before 16:30, Mr. Weber? The official hours of the SABC are from 08:00 to 17:00. Can every employee start working earlier and leave earlier? If not, why can you do so? If you so badly wants to police employees, why don't you start with yourself?

We have members who also wants to work flexi-time, Mr. Weber. Can you kindly arrange for them to do so? They want to start working at 06:00 and they want to leave at 15:00. Some wants to start at 05:00 and leave at 14:00. They are all office workers, like you, Mr Weber.

And no, I am not stupid to ask for permission for members to join yesterday's march. I never asked permission, I wanted you to confirm their right to participate over lunchtime, because management threatened them with disciplinary action. In the same way I asked you to confirm their right to strike now for their salary increase, which you confirmed. You said, "employees may embark on a strike in respect of the re-opened salary negotiations."

Thank you for that permission.

Lastly, Mr. Weber and Dr. Naves, you are solely responsible for BEMAWU now hardening our attitude and stance in respect of the salary increases. We want the 12.2% and nothing less!

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