Axed Generations cast members have taken the first step in seeking compensation for their unfair dismissal a few months back. The Generations Actors Guild (GAG) held their first hearing yesterday at the Commission for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration. (CCMA)

The appeal to the CCMA comes following the cast's unfair dismissal by the SABC after the cast had made a decision to withhold their acting services from SABC’s TV show Generations.

The outcome of today’s case was that the SABC are still unwilling to settle, because of such, negotiations are still set to continue.

“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 16 axed cast members are also said to have expressed great relief that the process has already started.

“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.”

What do you think, will the CCMA be sympathetic to the Generations cast?