NUM WARNS ON UNBUNDLING

THE NATIONAL Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has thrown down the gauntlet to the government, saying it is opposed to the unbundling of Eskom, which has plunged the country into darkness, amid fears it will result in job losses similar to Transnet and Telkom. NUM says disbanding the Eskom board and appointing a new chief executive would help the company turn around.

NUM president Joseph Montisetse said yesterday: “History has taught us that unbundling brings job losses. We hear that those who want to invest in Eskom say it has a bloated workforce.” The union, which represents 15 000 Eskom employees, also complained that it had not been consulted despite being a major stakeholder. NUM general secretary David Sipunzi said: “We were taken by shock when (President) Ramaphosa announced the unbundling at the State of the Nation Address – as though we are not stakeholders. We believe the ANC continues to lie to say this unbundling will not result in job losses, yet people who want to put money into Eskom say if does not reduce workers they will not invest.” Sipunzi warned that unbundling Eskom would hurt the ANC in the May 8 elections. The union denied allegations of sabotage as the reason for load shedding, saying Eskom had failed to maintain its ageing plants. It also criticised plans to rope in Italian engineers, saying international engineers would be appointed at the expense of locals.