Skip to main content

Eskom‚ petroleum sectors face paralysing strikes

| Economic factors

This comes as a third of Eskom’s workforce will down tools on 10th August in a nationwide strike over wages — a move that may effect electricity output at the utility’s power plants.

BDlive reported that all members of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) at Eskom power stations across the country will go on strike‚ joining workers who went on strike at three power stations on Monday.

David Sipunzi‚ general secretary of the union‚ said that while they were concerned about the effect the strike would have as Eskom is a strategic entity‚ those managing the company were not taking the union seriously.

He said the NUM was in talks with Numsa over wage negotiations with the utility. Numsa on 9th August warned that it would be watching developments in 10th August resumption of negotiations between the Chemical Energy Paper Printing Wood and Allied Workers Union (Ceppwawu) and employers.

Numsa members in petrol filing stations across the country “have been having protracted negotiations with employers in the Motor Bargaining Council and being frustrated by employers who are refusing to make an offer that must settle this round of negotiations”‚ Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim said.

“We have mediation resuming on 10th August‚” Jim said.

“If the bosses who represent garage employers fail to make an offer‚ Numsa will embark on a strike action in pursuit of our members’ demands and in full support of fuel refineries; so workers must remain strong and united‚ because united we stand divided we fall.”

Pin It

Related Articles

South African motorists are set to face steeper fuel costs from Wednesday, 6 May, with increases in both petrol and diesel exceeding earlier projections.
Rising fuel prices are continuing to push up the cost of food, with the price of a basic nutritional basket for a seven-person household now sitting 12.4% above the national minimum wage.
After April delivered record-breaking increases in petrol and diesel prices—partly cushioned by a temporary R3 per litre tax relief—South Africans are anxiously awaiting clarity on what lies ahead for May.
Fears that the conflict in the Middle East will trigger a steep surge in South Africa’s food prices may be overstated, with new insights suggesting the impact could be more contained than initially expected.
For many households, the real cost of driving is already higher than they think. Calculations using the Automobile Association’s current vehicle rates show that a typical 7.5km round trip – the…