e.tv staffer claims station is racist

Senior management at e-SAT has disputed allegations of racism, intimidation and victimisation made in a circulating e-mail.

|||

Cape Town - Senior management at e-SAT – commonly known as e.tv and eNCA – has disputed allegations of racism, intimidation and victimisation made in a circulating e-mail sent by a staff member.

“We are not free at e. e.tv/eNCA violates the basic rights of workers,” the e-mail reads.

“They have failed the company and pay lip service to engaging employees.

“The management has resorted to tried and tested apartheid-era tactics of dividing and victimising.”

According to the e-mail, workers at e.tv/eNCA were threatened not to get help from unions.

But they have called on the South African Clothing and Textile Workers Union (Sactwu), which has a stake in the company to intervene.

It is alleged that the chief operations officer, Mark Rosin, told employees that seeking union representation was “out of the question”.

In April, the company shut down their Africa Bureau division and scores of workers were retrenched, but it is alleged that senior management received a 10 percent salary increase and performance bonuses.

The staff member said there were over 70 percent black employees and 87 percent of the viewership was black.

The staff member accused the company’s director, Patrick Conroy, of not catering to that viewership: “He told journalists that reporting on rural areas is pointless.”

A former employee, who declined to be named, agreed with the anonymous e-mail.

The former e.tv worker told the Cape Argus that opposing management’s view was not an option.

Another former on-air staff member who did not want to be named told the Cape Argus that he had been strategically let go.

He was told at the time to resign from his permanent contract with the promise that he would be offered a temporary contract allowing him to work on other projects.

The day after he resigned, he was told the new contract would not be forthcoming.

Rosin slammed these allegations, saying the e-mail was riddled with inaccuracies and untruths.

“Claims made anonymously that their rights have been violated are untrue.

“We are a law abiding company and respect the constitution.”

Sactwu spokesman Fachmy Abrahams said this was brought to the union’s attention last month and they had identified the writer.

zodidi.dano@inl.co.za

Cape Argus