‘Get ready for load shedding!’

AS many as 15 000 Eskom workers embarked on massive unprotected strike action across the country on Wednesday, downing tools as wage talks between the power utility and unions failed.

Wage negotiations that started in mid-July ground to a halt, prompting members of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) to go on strike a day after Eskom celebrated one year since load shedding stopped.

The decision was taken after a NUM shop stewards meeting last week, and reports on Wednesday indicated that the largest union in the country, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) were also threatening to go on strike – a move that will most likely affect electricity supply.

In Empangeni meanwhile, Eskom workers affiliated to NUM also joined in, despite the strike action being unprotected.

Singing struggle songs, a group of about 20 workers gathered outside the Empangeni offices bearing placards that read ‘Get ready for load shedding’ and ‘12% or no lights’, while in The Rail at another Eskom office a large group of workers also picketed.

Eskom employees are considered as working for an essential service, who together with other government employees such as police, nurses, paramedics or firefighters are contractually prohibited from going on strike.

NUM Eskom Empangeni shop steward Sipho Mungwe said the members were in effect striking for their right to be able to strike, as well as against wage increases offered.

‘Around 13 Eskom executives are sharing R97-million in bonuses, 6 000 managers are sharing R674-milion while the workers who are around 35 000 people, share R917-million,’ he said.

‘We are asking for 12%, they are offering 7%. We believe that any worker in the country deserves the right to go on strike if they feel they are not getting fair treatment.’

An Eskom insider told the Zululand Observer, on condition of anonymity, that the strike action has had no effect on power delivery so far.

‘So far, to my knowledge, no outages have been as a direct result of the workers going on strike,’ said the insider.

National affair
NUM General Secretary David Sipunzi said on Wednesday that while the union was concerned about the effect the strike would have on power supply, management of the company was not taking the union seriously.

According to reports NUM declared in July it had reached a deadlock in negotiations with Eskom.

The union had apparently reduced its demands from 12% increases and R5 000 housing allowances to a housing allowance of R3 000 a month, double-digit increases for lower paid workers and 8.5% for the remaining workforce.

National spokesperson for Eskom, Khulu Phasiwe, meanwhile said they were offering an increase between 7% and 9% with no housing allowance.

‘Negotiations between Eskom and NUM have not yet collapsed and there should not be a strike,’ he said.

‘We believe that NUM’s strike is not only illegal, but unnecessary as well.’

Sipunzi was quoted as saying that the workers had a constitutional right to strike, and if they were essential workers they should be paid as such.

Eskom meanwhile has said workers that were not at work would have to account to their supervisors.

Both parties are now waiting for confirmation from the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) as to when negotiations would resume while the duration of the strike remained unclear as at Wednesday afternoon.

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