[ad_1]
Eskom Rotek Industries employees will go on strike on Tuesday (September 29) over a complaint with labor intermediaries and a wage dispute.
Rotek Industries acts as a maintenance support company for Eskom, and several of the protesting workers are employed as part-time contractors.
“Eskom is aware of the protest action by workers employed by temporary employment service providers (TES) around the power plants in Mpumalanga,” said company spokesman Sikonathi Mantshantsha.
“The workers have filed a number of complaints against TES, including a claim to be directly employed by Eskom full time. Issues raised by protesting workers are already being addressed in the CCMA process. Eskom is committed to a rapid and sustainable resolution of the problems raised.
“We have taken steps to minimize any disruption to electricity production and as such Eskom does not expect there to be significant problems with electricity production and supply.”
The strike is the latest in a long list of problems facing the embattled power company that has implemented historic levels of load reduction in 2020.
Eskom has managed to mitigate some of its power problems by implementing ‘load shedding’ in areas where overload occurs.
The group has affirmed that the overload, due to illegal connections, “can damage the electrical infrastructure by causing explosions of transformers and mini-substations.”
“Today, Eskom is struggling to keep up with the increase in equipment failures caused by overloading that is costing millions to repair,” he said.
A step forward?
The government now has published Ministerial determinations that will allow the development of more than 11,800 megawatts (MW) of additional electricity generation.
This indicates the government’s clear intention to go ahead with one of the key reforms needed to unlock growth in the economy and attract much-needed investment, said President Cyril Ramaphosa.
“This new energy will be obtained from various sources, such as solar, wind, gas, coal and storage. While meeting our energy needs in the future, this new capacity will also help us meet our international obligations to reduce carbon emissions.
“This electricity will be procured through a transparent bidding process that prioritizes competitiveness and profitability,” Ramaphosa said.
More importantly, at a time when power supply is severely restricted, new generation projects that can be connected to the grid as soon as possible will be prioritized, he said.
“The next step, which will follow soon, is to initiate several procurement bid windows, including the opening of bid window 5 of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers program.
“This is in addition to the 2,000 MW of emergency power that is urgently sought through the Risk Mitigation Procurement Program to address the country’s current energy deficit.”
Read: South Africa just took a big step to end cargo shedding: Ramaphosa
[ad_2]
