City of Johannesburg, Gauteng, City of Cape Town, Western Cape, Eskom, power cuts, blackouts, load shedding, formulating strategies, Stage 6

Unions have set the record straight on Eskom wages ‘agreement’ . Photo: @Eskom_SA / Twitter and only lines / Flickr

Eskom employees stage ‘largely peaceful’ protest over wages

Six coal-fired stations of Eskom had their roads blocked by workers who were protesting allegedly over their wages.

City of Johannesburg, Gauteng, City of Cape Town, Western Cape, Eskom, power cuts, blackouts, load shedding, formulating strategies, Stage 6

Unions have set the record straight on Eskom wages ‘agreement’ . Photo: @Eskom_SA / Twitter and only lines / Flickr

A breakdown in wage negotiations at Eskom has resulted in protests at multiple power plants being reported. 

Six coal-fired stations were blocked by groups of people who were ‘largely peaceful’

Spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha spoke about the protests on Thursday, 23 June, in a text message. According to Mantshantsha, groups of people at six coal-fired stations blocked roads that lead to some of the power stations. He explained that this hampers the movements of both people and goods into or outside the facilities.

Speaking about whether or not the protests were violent, Mantshantsha revealed that it was ‘largely peaceful’.

“While some incidents of intimidation have been reported, the protesters are largely peaceful at this stage,”

said Mantshantsha.

Wage negotiations at Eskom have been a concern for years

In addition to Eskom’s continuous failed attempt to meet electricity demands within South Africa, protests have added additional pressure to the state-owned utility. The pay negotiation talks between Eskom and labour unions have reportedly reached a standstill.

Labour protests as a result of wage negotiations occurred previously in 2018.

Although the protests were considered illegal, a three-year deal was signed. This is due to the fact that Eskom provides an essential service to South Africans. The agreement in question included increases of up to 7.5% annually.

The two biggest labour groups at Eskom are the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) as well as the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (NUMSA), reports BusinessTech.

Labour protests as a result of wage negotiations that occurred previously in 2018. Photo: Axel Bührmann / Flickr

Beware of SCAMMERS pretending to be Eskom employees

In other news about the power utility, it was previously reported that Eskom issued a warning to Eastern Cape residents about a recent scam involving people who are impersonating Eskom employees or contractors. According to the power utility in the Eastern Cape, the scammers call Eskom customers and claim to be instructed by Eskom to disconnect electricity due to overuse. 

Their aim is to gain access to their homes. This could possibly be to rob residents. In addition to that, both Eskom employees and contractors drive clearly branded cars.

Eskom has encouraged residents to report any suspicious behaviour to the City’s law enforcement agencies or to the police. Moreover, residents should check employees’ identification cards before allowing anyone onto their property. Read the full story here.