Johannesburg - Trade union Solidarity will bring an urgent application in the Labour Court on Wednesday to ensure that four dismissed journalists return to work immediately.
This follows the broadcaster ignoring the court's ruling on Tuesday that the four be allowed back at work after it was found that their dismissals were unlawful. The SABC is stopping their return as it plans to appeal the judgment.
“It is true that the SABC has indicated that it wants to appeal against the ruling. However, the SABC has not yet submitted any formal application to appeal. This means yesterday’s court ruling stands, and in reality the SABC action today amounts to contempt of court,” said Solidarity CE Dirk Hermann.
Read: #SABC4 blocked from entering workplace
He said Solidarity, which is representing the four staffers, would also ask that the individuals who intended to appeal the ruling be held liable for the costs in their personal capacity.
“Pending an appeal, the court rules allow you to return to court to obtain a court order to allow someone that had been dismissed to return to work. We are therefore going to rely on this court rule,” Hermann said.
Read: SABC to appeal Labour Court ruling
Hermann said it was incomprehensible that the SABC would continue with attempts to defend its unlawful instructions in the courts.
“There is no longer any doubt that the SABC’s instruction to journalists not to broadcast violent protest action is illegal. We are convinced that the SABC’s application to appeal will be unsuccessful and we want to ensure that the individuals in question will be held liable for the costs so that the tax payer need not finance these unlawful decisions any longer,” he said.
The Labour Court is expected to hear the SABC’s application to appeal early next week.
Labour Bureau