The statement just in from COSATU about the Generations crisis:
Press Release
Reinstate the Generations 16!
The Congress of South African Trade Unions, the Creative Workers Union of South Africa and the Communications Workers Union are giving their full backing to the 16 Generations actors who have been out of work for a month and are determined to win their reinstatement.
Their fight is not just for their own jobs but for all the creative workers – actors, musicians and technicians – who are exploited on a daily basis by production companies and broadcasters, and earn wages which in no way reflect either their work’s monetary worth or, more importantly the pleasure it gives to thousands of people. It is a scandal that so many of our greatest artists die in poverty after a lifetime of entertaining the public.
The unions’ campaign forms part of a broader campaign in support of vulnerable workers and those under attack by employers. While we are mobilising support for the actors, COSATU and its affiliates are also campaigning in solidarity with the Aurora mine workers who have not been paid for five years, sacked municipal workers in Sasolburg, metal and engineering workers locked out by the NEASA employers; and we take up the cases of individual workers on a daily basis.
On 3 September 2014, a delegation of the Generations actors met the COSATU National Office Bearers and the next day had a meeting with the SABC to discuss the matter and it was agreed to set up a Task Team to try to find a solution to the dispute.
The NOBs had also requested a meeting with MMSV, but scandalously its owners, Mfundi Vundla and Fred Stark, arrogantly refused to meet or to be part of the Task Team. Vundla remarked that he would not meet with COSATU and that the NOBs must refrain from contacting him again.
An SABC / COSATU / CWUSA Task Team, with representatives of the CWU, met without them and the actors presented their demands. It was agreed to work out an agreement for discussion. The COSATU General Secretary and SABC COO were tasked to reconvene all the parties and SABC were to bring producers on board. But so far they are still refusing to participate in the Task Team and Vundla says he has already contracted other actors.
The campaign therefore has to be taken to a new level. What you cannot win through negotiation you have to win on the streets. COSATU and CWUSA have agreed to campaign for the actor’s demands:
- Reduction of extremely long hours to 10;
- Social Benefits, including UIF, retirement fund, medical aid scheme, maternity benefits, parental rights and sick leave;
- An end to inconsistencies in remunerations;
- SABC to pay royalties that have not been paid;
- An end to commercial exploitation by YouTube and other broadcasters;
- Closing of gaps in wage increments;
- More favourable working conditions on set;
- The producer to realign their contract with SABC with agreed time lines.
The media reports that Generations actors earned an average of R55 000 a month is nonsense
. Generations made a profit of R500 million in one financial year, but failed to pay royalties calculated over 11 years of R3, 000. That is blatant robbery. The SABC, in collusion with production houses, exploits actors, who earn a tiny fraction of what their fellow actors earn in Hollywood. The SABC also make extra profits from Generation Online, from which the actors get nothing.
It also must be pointed out that actors’ career lifespan, much like sport stars, is generally very brief. A career generally lasts 10-15 years, in contrast to the average career lifespan of 30-40 years.
It has been agreed for the campaign to take the following steps:
- A week-long national ‘switch-off’ by viewers, starting on 15 September, focussed on the adverts shown before, during and after showings of Generations – 20h00-20h30 on SABC1, repeats at 09h30-10h00 on SABC3 and the Omnibus from 09h00-12h00 on Saturday 20 September;
- Solidarity press statements from unions and civil society backing the call to reinstate the actors
- Letters to be sent to the Ministers of Communications, Labour, Arts & Culture and Trade & Industry
- Pressure on companies which advertise during Generations;
- Mass use of social media – Twitter, Facebook, etc.
- Engagement with international union federations focussed on the many countries where Generations is shown
- Petition to the SABC
- Pickets
While the immediate goal is to win the reinstatement of the Generations 16, the campaign will be broadened to organise all creative workers into the ranks of CWUSA and free all creative workers from exploitation and poverty, and strive to transform the whole industry - which is currently overwhelmingly white-owned - so that it reflects the majority of the South African people.