Advanced Television

SABC lays off 21% of staff

April 1, 2021

By Chris Forrester

Years of losses have forced a major restructuring on financially troubled South Africa Broadcasting (SABC).

The broadcaster says that it has now laid off 621 staff, some 21 per cent of its workforce in order to make SABC “fit for purpose” and to avoid the need for more public handouts.

“The reduction of employee costs is central to the SABC’s turnaround plan and its long-term sustainability,” the broadcaster said in a statement. “The section 189 process began with the issuing of the notice in June 2020 and, after an intensive nine-month period, [was concluded] on 31 March 2021. Subsequent to the conclusion of the resourcing of the new structure, the total number of employees who will leave the organisation at the end of March 2021 is 621.”

SABC says that 346 of those affected took voluntary redundancy. The remaining 275 were made redundant.

SABC added: “Some were concerned about the impact of lower job-scale codes resulting from the organisation-wide job evaluation process, on current salaries and their pension. These colleagues took voluntary severance packages as a first option and chose not to participate in any alternative job-seeking processes.”

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