It could take up to 10 days to recover from strike – Eskom

WHILE Eskom and the three unions representing its workers have pledged to go back to the negotiation table, load shedding is set to continue with the power utility saying yesterday it could take about 10 days to fully recover from the effects of the strike.

The power utility said there was a “shortage of capacity” due to the effects of last week’s strike and this will remain so in the coming week.

“The power system remains constrained, despite several units being returned to service this (yesterday) morning. Risk for load shedding during the course of today remains high… and will remain so in the coming week,” it said.

Eskom said its recovery teams at power stations were working hard to stabilise the power system.

On Thursday last week scores of Eskom workers downed tools demanding a salary increase. Eskom had told the workers that there would be no salary increase this year due to financial constraints. This angered the unions resulting in some of the workers embarking on a strike.

Last week Eskom referred to the strike as illegal industrial action, saying it was characterised by “acts of sabotage and intimidation”.

It said there had been attacks on staff, road blockages and damage to electricity infrastructure. As a result coal deliveries had to be stopped due to security considerations.

The Hendrina, Camden, Kendal, and Arnot power stations were the worst affected.

To prevent a total blackout, Eskom started implementing load shedding on Friday.

However, the unions denied any sabotage and intimidation, accusing Eskom of dishonesty.

Numsa spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi yesterday denied that there was ever any strike by the union.

“We were never on strike. We called for a national day of picketing on Thursday,” she said after being asked if the strike had been called off or not.

On Friday, Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan met the unions representing disgruntled Eskom workers.

The three unions, Numsa, Solidarity and NUM, agreed to start talks with Eskom management starting today.

The parties agreed that the 0% increase proposed by Eskom was “off the table” and also agreed to normalise the situation and give the negotiations a chance.

“Numsa views the process of engagement as necessary in resolving the dispute between us and Eskom management in laying the ground for the negotiations to continue.

“We are ready to engage meaningfully with Eskom in our demands as has been our attitude from the beginning of the negotiations,” Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim said.

Gordhan called on all parties to play their part in ensuring that electricity supply is restored.

A FEW minutes before the first whistle marking the start of the Fifa World Cup 2018, social media and soccer enthusiasts complained about unreliable power supply throughout the tournament. This after Eskom released a list of areas to be affected by load shedding.

According to Eskom, the inability to keep the lights on is a result of a strike by workers who are members of the National Union of Mineworkers and National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa.

Workers have been demanding a 15% wage hike, with Eskom on the other hand offering a 0% increase for this year.

I do believe that this is the most critical period for the ANC government led by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

My greatest wish is for diplomacy and bargaining skills that resulted in public sector unions and government reaching a wage settlement, to characterise negotiations at Eskom in order to find a longlasting solution. Public Service and Administration Minister Ayanda Dlodlo, her team of senior officials and leaders of organised labour in the public sector must be commended for ensuring that this country avoids what could have been a crippling strike involving thousands of government employees.

This is one of the most important achievements under President Ramaphosa.

I recall that in August and September 2010, ordinary members of society in this country were faced with a massive public sector strike which had a very severe impact on health, education, welfare and other services.

This strike was associated with unprecedented emotions and acts of violence, arising from a deadlock in the negotiations process.

The ANC-led government must be commended for drawing some good lessons from the 2010 strike.

Negotiations that resulted in the latest public sector settlement started six months ago under former president Jacob Zuma and were led by former minister Faith Muthambi and her team. The government has been decisive and acted very early to resolve salary disputes. It did not delay until the emotions boiled to higher levels, especially since the bargaining schedule is known ahead of time.

Leaders of organised labour must be also commended for their bargaining skills. They must be encouraged to always give firm and effective leadership to avoid anarchy and hooliganism that discredits an otherwise justifiable case of bargaining.

Unruly behaviour and sporadic strikes while negotiations are under way reverse the gains the ANC and the alliance partners have made in building a labour-friendly environment.

In 2012, this country experienced a tragedy which attracted the attention of international labour organisations. The lesson that we all need to draw from Marikana is that government, mining companies and labour unions must work together and co-operate to ensure that the miners are rewarded appropriately for their labour.

All role-players must also ensure that communities benefit from the wealth underneath the land of their birth.

Critically, there is a need for government and organised labour to ensure that no negotiations are conducted through pangas and spears. This must apply to all sectors of our economy, even at Eskom.

More debate is necessary to restore a sense of decency in industrial negotiation processes as guided by the law of the land.

The increasing violence and intimidation associated with industrial action should be a cause for huge concern.

It cannot be allowed as a culture of wage negotiations that several lives are lost and assets are destroyed for every percentage rise to be gained at the bargaining table.

As a country, we seem to have descended to accepting that there may be circumstances under which any such deaths may be justifiable.

This trend of unpredictable violent work stoppages is most frightening to investors, who need stability and a predictable environment to match the long-term decisions they make in investing in any country.

It must be stated upfront that the ANC voted in Parliament after 1994 for labour legislation that protects the workers’ right to sell their labour and bargain for the best possible conditions of employment including a decent salary.

The Freedom Charter must continue to guide all role-players on what type of environment the democratic government should create for workers under the new dispensation.

Better living and working conditions for workers are not a favour but a constitutional right which the democratic government led by the ANC has to uphold at all times.

Importantly, it should be remembered that the ANC has as its constituency base working-class and the rural poor. These are the most important categories of the people who are part of the important motivational forces that stand to benefit from the process of transforming society that the ANC and its allies are leading.

Over the next few days everything must be done to resolve the Eskom strike and ensure that workers get what they deserve. This will ensure that we avoid prolonged load-shedding which will dent business confidence and slow the pace of economic growth.

KwaZulu-Natal, being one of the economic and industrialised hubs of South Africa, would be greatly affected. This province consumes in excess of 6700MW of electricity or almost two Eskom six-pack power stations in its peak demand period.

Average growth in electricity demand, which closely tags economic growth rates, is predicted to be between 6 and 7%. This implies that KZN requires more than 400MW and 470MW more electricity each year to achieve and sustain its growth targets.

The interruption to the power supply will not only derail efforts aimed at growing the economy of this province, but will reverse all gains that have been made in the provision of electricity to millions of ordinary people who were denied access by the evil apartheid government.

In conclusion, I respectfully wish that we will collectively draw lessons from the previous strikes in order to chart the way forward. A bad experience can deliver a better lesson than a good teacher, but only if the student is prepared to learn!

NDABEZINHLE SIBIYA Head of Content and Knowledge Management KZN Provincial Government Communications (this is his personal viewpoint).