Generations strike ends, actors back on set

Written by TVSA Team from the blog News on 06 Nov 2013
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The Generations cast are officially back on set, the strike is over and filming on the soapie has resumed today (6 November 2013).

The strike, which shut down production for weeks, came to an end yesterday after negotiations between the SABC, Generations producer Mfundi Vundla and the actors' lawyers yielded a result that was amicable to everyone.

Most notably: the actors are receiving the three-year contracts at the centre of the dispute.

In case you aren't familiar with the fiasco ... 12 key actors on the show, including Menzi Ngubane and Sophie Ndaba, have been striking for weeks as a result of the contract dispute.

In September the SABC announced that the broadcaster would be giving Generations a three-year contract instead of a one-year contract which led the actors to believe that they would receive three-year contracts too.

Generations producer Mfundi Vundla, who issues contracts to the actors, refused to give the actors the fixed three-year contracts they wanted and things exploded. Other issues that boiled to the surface included salary rates and the fact that Vundla wants to include a clause in the contracts that actors can be written out at any time.

Word from the SABC is that these additional issues haven't been fully resolved yet but all parties have agreed that these will be negotiated over the next five months.

When asked for comment, SABC spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago told TVSA, "If we want to retain our on-air talent we have have to give them assurances." He went on to say that the actors will be paid for the month of October, while they were on strike. "They'll be paid as a way of saying 'Let's talk'," he told us.

Here's the blow-by-blow from a statement by the SABC ...

AGREEMENT REACHED ON CONTRACT DISPUTE BETWEEN MORULA PICTURES AND GENERATIONS CAST

On Tuesday the South African broadcasting Corporation (SABC) met with Mr. Mfundi Vundla of Morula Pictures and Mzamo Attorneys, who were acting on behalf of the Generations cast, involved in the contract dispute.

All parties are pleased to announce that an agreement has been reached in terms of the cast’s contract. The following were agreed upon in relation to their new contracts:

1. Cast members will receive a 3 year contract.

2. Morula Pictures and SABC will review the proposed pay rates for the performers.

3. Morula Pictures and SABC agree to payment of the affected cast’s October remuneration.

4. The two parties agreed to negotiate other terms, with the involvement of the SABC, and will endeavour to conclude a new agreement on or before the end of March 2014.

Mr. Hlaudi Motsoeneng, the SABC’s Acting Chief Operations Officer (ACOO) said, “We are happy, as the SABC, that this matter has finally been laid to rest. The uproar which has been in the media around this issue, once again re-affirmed the public’s love of our property.

"As the SABC we will continue to bring world-class entertainment to our audiences, and where need be, will assist as a mediator when issues arise between production houses tasked with producing our properties and cast members”.

Mr. Mfundi Vundla, of Morula Pictures said “I’m delighted recording has resumed. We look forward to delivering the best entertainment to our audiences”.

Advocate Desmond Brown, stated that, “We are delighted that the negotiations have reached this stage. Clearly there is light at the end of the tunnel now."

Generations production resumes recording on Wednesday (6 November, 2013).