LEAVE POLICY
FOR URGENT DISTRIBUTION TO ALL MEMBERS
SUBJECT: SABC MANAGEMENT UNILATERALLY DESTROYS YOUR LEAVE BENEFITS, ATTACKS YOUR RIGHTS AND YOUR FINANCIAL SECURITY
SABC management has once again shown its profound disrespect for its employees. In an act of extreme bad faith, management has unilaterally imposed a new “Leave Policy” (HR/024/25/R), effective 08 May 2025.
This is not merely a policy update; it is a calculated and aggressive assault on your hard-won terms and conditions of employment. Management has decided that the established leave benefits you have acquired and relied on for years, are now worthless.
They have chosen to discard them without negotiation, without consultation, and without your consent. This unilateral action is a declaration that management believes it can operate above the law and ignore the welfare and rights of its own workforce.
We must show them they are wrong.
Below is a provisional detailed breakdown of what they have taken from you.
Clause-by-Clause Comparison: The “Old” Policy vs. The 2025 Attack
Here is exactly how the new policy strips away your rights and benefits guaranteed under our previous terms.
- Annual Leave Accumulation
YOUR ESTABLISHED RIGHT (Old Policy): You had the right to accumulate up to 90 days of annual leave in the new leave pool. This was a significant financial safety net that you earned through your service.
THE ATTACK (2025 Policy): This right has been destroyed. The accumulation cap has been slashed to a mere 30 days. Worse, management has built a trap: any leave you have above this new limit will be automatically forfeited by the leave system.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU: Your long-term savings, held in the form of accrued leave, are being deliberately targeted. Management has created a system to confiscate your earned leave days if you don’t use them under their new, brutally restrictive terms. - Maternity Leave & Pay
YOUR ESTABLISHED RIGHT (Old Policy): For the last two months of maternity leave, employees not contributing to UIF were paid 68% of their basic salary by the SABC. This provided crucial financial support.
THE ATTACK (2025 Policy): This support has been cut. Pay for the last two months is now a flat 33% of basic salary for all employees. They have also introduced a vicious 12-month “work-back” period. If you resign within a year of returning from maternity leave, you are required to repay your maternity leave pay.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU: A direct and shameful pay cut for new mothers. Management is now punishing you for starting a family by chaining you to the company with a debt obligation, severely restricting your freedom. - Your Historic “Excessive” Leave Balance
YOUR ESTABLISHED RIGHT (Old Policy): Your significant leave balance was earned under the old policy, which allowed for it. It was your property.
THE ATTACK (2025 Policy): Management has now labeled your earned leave “excessive” and is systematically seizing it. You are being forced to use it on their rigid timeline (one-third per year), or it will be forfeited. To further devalue your benefit, its worth is permanently frozen at your April 2025 salary.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU: Management is actively confiscating benefits you have already earned over years of loyal service. They are devaluing your property and forcing you to use it or lose it forever. - Scope of Policy Protection
YOUR ESTABLISHED RIGHT (Old Policy): The previous policy applied broadly to SABC employees based on their salary scales, providing wide protection.
THE ATTACK (2025 Policy): Management now explicitly excludes Fixed Term employees and Interns from this policy, pushing them onto the bare minimum protections of the law.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU: A classic “divide and conquer” strategy. By stripping protections from our most vulnerable colleagues, management weakens our collective power and creates different classes of employees, making it easier to erode benefits for everyone else down the line.
A CALL TO ACTION: STAND UP AND FIGHT BACK!
This is a brazen and disrespectful violation of established practice. It is an attack on every single one of us and on the principle that employees should be treated with dignity.
We will not stand for this.
We will fight this disrespectful and unlawful action through every channel available to us. Stay tuned for urgent updates and further action.
We must stand together in solidarity to show SABC management that they cannot simply discard our rights.
THIS IS NOT THE END. THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF A TOTAL ONSLAUGHT TO ERODE YOUR BENEFITS.
WHAT IS NEXT?
PERHAPS YOUR PENSION, YOUR MEDICAL AID?
ALUTA CONINUA!!!!
Moratorium on Leave Encashment
We need to immediately address the SABC’s recent “Announcement of Indefinite Moratorium on Leave Encashment,” which is set to take effect on 30 October 2025.
Summary of the SABC’s Position
The SABC has announced its decision to discontinue the encashment of accumulative leave, citing its current financial position. It acknowledges that as recently as December 2023, during wage negotiations, the annual encashment benefit was increased from 7 to 10 days. The SABC is now encouraging employees to take their accumulated leave instead of cashing it out.
BEMAWU’s Position & Legal Advice
This announcement is of serious concern. Here is our initial assessment:
1. Unilateral Change to Conditions of Service: Leave encashment is a term and condition of employment. The SABC’s own announcement confirms this benefit was part of wage negotiations. A benefit that is negotiated collectively cannot be unilaterally withdrawn by the employer, even by citing financial difficulty. The SABC is obligated to consult and negotiate with BEMAWU before implementing such a change.
2. Potential Unfair Labour Practice: Under the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995, an employer’s unilateral change to a condition of employment can constitute an unfair labour practice. This gives BEMAWU and our members grounds to formally dispute the decision.
3. Financial Hardship vs. Employee Rights: While we are aware of the SABC’s financial challenges, these difficulties do not give the corporation the right to bypass established collective bargaining structures and legal principles. The financial well-being of the SABC cannot be secured by unfairly eroding the negotiated benefits and rights of its employees.
What You Should Do:
• This is an announcement of an intended action. BEMAWU will formally engage SABC management on this matter immediately.
• Keep records. Ensure you have a clear record of your accumulated leave days.
• We will communicate with our members on the formal steps we are taking to challenge this decision and will advise you on any collective action.
Please feel free to ask any specific questions you have about this or any other matter. We are here to protect and advance your rights.