S African power plant workers embark on illegal strike

“The employer obtained an interdict against the strike late last night, but our members chose to go ahead with the stoppage”, said Livhuwani Mammburu, the spokesman for the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM).

Following a national shop steward meeting yesterday, the union agreed to reduce its demands to 10% for the lowest paid workers, and 8.5% for the highest paid workers.

NUM’s energy sector coordinator, Paris Mashengo, said that wage talks with Eskom were in deadlock over the weekend. Eskom provides nearly all the power to Africa’s most industrialised economy but it was not immediately clear what impact the strike may have on its ability to keep the lights on.

About 15,000 workers in power stations across the country were said to be participating in the strike.

Zapiro’s perspective of the top team at the State-owned utility Eskom. “We believe that NUM’s strike is not only illegal, but unnecessary as well”, he said.

According to Eskom spokesperson, Khulu Phasiwe, the court interdict, which was obtained on Tuesday evening, also prohibits the workers from picketing or from marching or protesting. “Technically anyone who is not at work today will have to explain themselves to their bosses”, he said.

The unions’ demands include a wage increase of between 8.5% and 10%, while Eskom is now offering between 7% and 9%.

The problem with Eskom management is that they do not view the payment of salaries as an investment but as expenditure, he added. But silent on nuclear.

The union said that all of its 15,000 members at the utility, or close to a third of Eskom’s workforce, will stop work on Wednesday.

Eskom also suspended a Koeberg safety officer as a precautionary measure after a drone struck the plant site and the matter has been referred to police, it said.