SABC, unions sign wage deal
2009-08-11 15:47
Johannesburg - The SABC and worker unions signed a wage deal on Tuesday, ending a long-standing labour dispute that culminated in a countrywide strike last month.
"We signed and sealed the deal," said SABC spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago.
"It is a 10% salary increase across the board - 8.5% now, [from August] and 1.5% to be paid in December, all of them back-dated to April 1."
Also, if the SABC makes an operational profit of R21m at the end of the 2009/10 financial year, a once-off payment of R2 000 will be made to each employee next May, said Kganyago.
"The SABC is happy that it has managed to find middle ground with all the unions and also re-iterates gratitude to those employees who pledged their support, stuck with the organisation and continued to perform their duties diligently through this difficult period," he said.
Debt
Workers, represented by the Communication Workers' Union, the Broadcasting, Electronic Media and Allied Workers' Union and the Media Workers Association of SA, wanted a 12.2% increase.
The wage dispute saw SABC employees picketing across the country and some taking part in a national stay-away last month.
The public broadcaster is said to be drowning in debt and is hoping for a R2bn bail-out from the government.
An interim board has been appointed to try and deal with the problems.
- SAPA