As a first step for seeking recourse for their dismissal, the Generations Actors Guild (GAG) had their first hearing at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA). Their appeal to the CCMA is based on the SABC and MMSV’s dismissal of the cast members after they had made a decision to withhold their services as actors from the SABC TV show, Generations.
“It’s important to note that the CCMA is not a one-step process” comments GAG’s legal advisor, Bulelani Mzamo “there is a considerable amount of work that needs to go into demonstrating the basis of this claim to the CCMA – the CCMA, in turn, has its own process of how it responds to each claim, and their recommendation on the most suitable remedy to the dispute.” The outcome of today’s hearing was that MMSV and SABC were unwilling to settle – as such, the matter will continue on to arbitration. For the cast, there is a sense of relief that the process has begun.
“For us, this is Step 1 in a process” the cast comments. “From the outset, we acted within the definitions of the agreement and the law – despite a string of broken promises from our former employers. We look forward to putting our case before the CCMA and commencing on achieving a much-deserved legal remedy to our unilateral dismissal. We are also going to put in a civil case for a transparent calculation for the commercial exploitation fees owed to us for use of the episodes and our images. At the end of the day, we regard this as a significant milestone in the journey of rectifying problems we have in the creative industries. Our stance will not be in vain.”
