Further power cuts maybe on the cards as Eskom workers prepare to down tools.
Three unions representing two-thirds of Eskom employees will take action against the parastatal from July 4 if their wage demands are not met, they announced at a joint press briefing in Johannesburg on Monday.
The unions are the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), the National Union of Metal Workers of South Africa (Numsa) and Solidarity.
”Unfortunately the community may experience a continuation of current blackouts,” said NUM chief negotiator Paris Mashego.
A meeting between Eskom and the unions was scheduled for June 27.
”[Action includes] marches, go slows and any other way to show our anger … it will definitely include a strike … a strike is imminent,” he said.
The unions are demanding a 12% wage increase while Eskom is offering 6%.
Other demands include an increase in the company’s contribution to the pension fund and a housing subsidy of R1 500.
The three unions together represent 20 000 Eskom employees. A memorandum detailing the unions’ demands will be presented to Eskom on Monday, although three rounds of negotiations have already been held.
Eskom employees are regarded as essential-service workers and are therefore barred from striking under the Labour Relations Act.
However, the unions have approached the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) to put in place a minimum service agreement at Eskom, which will allow some of the workers to go on strike.
Mashego said there had been a minimum service agreement at Eskom, but the company dropped this agreement, saying it was not in their interests.
The unions said the agreement was dropped to ”buy time and prevent a strike”.
”We are saying to them, let’s invoke that old agreement that determines how many people can take part in the strike,” he said.
He said he was optimistic that mediated talks between the unions and the company on this matter would be successful.
Numsa negotiator Phutas Tseki said it was ”imperative” that a minimum service agreement was reached between Eskom and the unions — as this would limit the strike to areas not regarded as essential.
Solidarity deputy general secretary Dirk Hermann said the unions objected to all Eskom workers being regarded as essential.
”It’s quite clear that the whole of Eskom is not an essential service,” he said.
Eskom said it had presented a proposal on the minimum service agreement to the unions earlier this year, but this was rejected by the unions.
The matter has been referred to the CCMA that will meet both parties on June 20. — Sapa