By Sapa and Helen Bamford
The SABC has assured its customers they will continue to get their television and radio programmes in spite of striking workers threatening a nationwide blackout.
More than half of the public broadcaster's workforce is expected to go on strike on Monday, initially picketing during lunch hours but embarking on a stayaway within a week.
The SABC's head of communications, Kaizer Kganyago, said contingency plans had been finalised, but he would not divulge details.
He said he didn't know if the unions could make good on their promise of a blackout, but the SABC would do its best to see that programming was not interrupted.
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"We also have a mandate to give information to the public in the event of a disaster for example," Kganyago said.
Ernest Dlamini, secretary general of the Media Workers Association of SA (Mwasa), said the union expected all its 600 members who worked for the SABC to join the strike.
Gallant Roberts, general secretary of the Communication Workers Union (CWU), said yesterday many of its 949 SABC members would join the 600 Mwasa members on the picket line. This would mean about half the broadcaster's 3 000 workers would down tools.
Roberts said that from Monday members would picket during lunch hours and work-to-rule in terms of their job descriptions. Go-slows would follow, as would an overtime ban.
On Friday, a march is planned to the regional offices of the SABC.
"After that we will embark on a complete withdrawal of labour in the form of a stay-away from July 13 until management accedes to our demands."
The unions went to the CCMA when the SABC reduced its multi-term pay offer from 12.2 to 8.5 percent. The offer was supposed to have been implemented in April.
The unions are hoping to get support for their strike from actors and production houses.
Roberts said the public broadcaster's "no work, no pay" policy did not deter the workers from striking.
As to whether the strike could lead to a blackout, he said: "I'm sure there will be a major impact on operations in the SABC in total."
Meanwhile, in the absence of President Jacob Zuma, who is in Libya for the African Union summit, Acting President Kgalema Motlanthe has signed the presidential minute officially dissolving the SABC board. This will allow Parliament to formally appoint an interim board, said Zuma's spokesperson Thabo Masebe.
On Thursday, the National Assembly's communications committee finalised the list of names for the five-member interim board it would recommend to Zuma.
They are former MTN executive Irene Charnley, Unisa academic Phillip Mtimkulu, media expert Libby Lloyd, advocate Leslie Sedibe and former communications committee member Suzanne Vos.
The National Assembly is expected to approve the list on Tuesday.
Advertisements for a permanent 12-member board will be sent out within the next two weeks. The committee will start interviewing applicants shortly thereafter.
- This article was originally published on page 4 of Cape Argus on July 04, 2009
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