Hundreds of SABC employees to be disciplined for medical aid fraud
- Published on 24 Mar 2016
- HR Pulse News Desk
Hundreds of SABC employees are to face the music for defrauding the public broadcaster’s medical aid scheme of thousands of rands using dodgy health practitioners over a number of years.
In September, the SABC put the number of employees implicated in fraud relating to its medical aid, administered by Medscheme, at “just under 200”. The number only includes employees based at it’s the SABC’s head office in Auckland Park. The employees were allegedly paid out by health professionals for services the latter claimed from the medical aid but which were not rendered. Because disciplining some 200 workers would have taken an unreasonably long time, the SABC chose to completely waive formal disciplinary hearings in favour of having the employees make individual representations, which would be considered by a chairperson.
The Broadcasting, Electronic, Media and Allied Workers’ Union (Bemawu) then sought an interdict against the public broadcaster proceeding with the hearings on the basis that they would amount to a grave and total deviation from the disciplinary code. Earlier this month, the Labour Court struck the union’s application from the roll, saying Bemawu members would be able to approach the CCMA should the SABC fire them.
Source: SA Labour News
