Eskom accuses unions of breaching the law
The unions have refused to sign the agreement after the utility insisted that those who embarked on the strike would face disciplinary action.
POWER utility Eskom has again issued warnings to its striking workers, saying they may face disciplinary action. Eskom has accused worker unions of defying the law and the needs of the country.
In a statement Eskom said it has noted the National Union of Mineworkers ( NUM) and National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa’s (NUMSA) media utterances in relation to the failure of the two parties to reach an agreement on the protracted wage negotiations.
Initially the parties had drawn up an agreement stating that workers will get a 7.5 per cent increase for 2018 and a seven per cent increase for the next two years. However the unions refused to sign the agreement after the utility insisted that those who embarked on the strike would face disciplinary action.
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“Eskom is designated an essential service in terms of the precincts of the Labour Relations Act (LRA). All Eskom employees are, as a result, prohibited from engaging in any form of industrial action and/or any action that retards or obstructs Eskom’s operations,” said Eskom.
The utility went on to say, “During June 2018, NUM and NUMSA defied the Labour Relations Act and its essential service provisions and embarked on unprocedural, and therefore unlawful and unprotected, strike action. Regrettably, despite the union confirming that all items are agreed in the wage agreement, and despite Eskom employees desperately awaiting the implementation of the agreement, the unions raised a new demand as an absolute precondition for signing the agreement at the meeting of the 8th August 2018.”
In a statement NUM said they will only sign the agreement on one condition.
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“Eskom wants NUM to sign the agreement and thereafter dismiss our members. The NUM will only sign the wage agreement if Eskom removes the precondition of disciplinary action,” read the NUM’s statement.
Eskom has advised the unions to sign the wage agreement so as not to further prejudice its employees who await their salary adjustments. It has further advised the unions that employees who participated in unlawful action will be subjected to disciplinary hearings and where found guilty of acts of misconduct, disciplinary action will be instituted against them.
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