Eskom says operations not adversely affected by strike

Eskom’s power stations and operations have not been adversely affected by the current illegal strike action by members of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM)‚ the utility says.

“Eskom has a staff complement of over 47‚000 workers‚ of which more than 45‚000 employees have been reporting for work since the beginning of the NUM’s illegal strike action. The majority of our employees are at work‚ ensuring that our operations continue as normal‚” it said in a statement on Thursday.

The NUM members downed tools on Wednesday in a nationwide strike over wages‚ in defiance of a court interdict. Eskom had obtained an interdict from the Labour Court late on Tuesday to stop NUM members embarking on a strike.

The company warned that strikers would face disciplinary action.

As an essential service‚ all Eskom employees are prohibited from engaging in any form of industrial action‚ including stay-away action and any other action that retards or obstructs Eskom’s operations‚ it noted.

The utility said: “Any employee that participates in such action would be carrying out an act of misconduct‚ and disciplinary action will be instituted against him/her.”

Separately‚ wage negotiations between Eskom and three unions — NUM‚ National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa and Solidarity — continue today under the auspices of the Commission for Conciliation‚ Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA).

Eskom said it is hopeful that an amicable settlement will be reached soon.

The unions’ demands include a wage increase of between 12% and 13%‚ while Eskom is currently offering between 7% and 9%.