Solidarity will today bring an urgent application to court to ensure that the four dismissed SABC journalists may return to work immediately in accordance with yesterday’s ruling by the Labour Court. In its application the trade union will also ask that the individuals who intend to appeal against yesterday’s ruling be held liable for the costs in their personal capacity.

According to Solidarity Chief Executive Dr Dirk Hermann, the fact of the matter is that a court order, allowing the journalists to return to work, is in place. “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,” Hermann said.

“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.

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, “Hermann said.

The Labour Court will probably hear the SABC’s application to appeal early next week.

Issued by Solidarity