Eskom problem is no longer an industrial relations problem

1 August 2018

THE Eskom problem is no longer an industrial relations problem but something more sinister, says the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

“We know, thanks to World Bank research, that Eskom is overstaffed and the that the staff are overpaid,” said Ms Janine Myburgh, President of the Chamber. “The staff have received above-inflation increases for a decade and the benefits they enjoy are on a par with the best, so it is most unlikely that there are any genuine work-related grievances.”

She said that from the outside it looked very much as if they were simply abusing their power for their own gain. In the process they were forcing up the price of electricity and load-shedding was endangering the jobs of other workers and undermining the economy of the country.

Eskom is an essential industry and that means that strikes are illegal. “Even worse have been the reports of sabotage and preventing deliveries of coal to power stations. This is criminal behaviour and it is time it was treated as such.”

Ms Myburgh said it was also suicidal behaviour because it meant higher tariffs for electricity would simply encourage many more customers to generate their own electricity. “This is already happening and there will be a great deal more of it because the cost of solar power continues to fall while Eskom power gets more expensive every year.”

She said it was also time to ask how many of Eskom’s employees where ghost workers. “There has been so much corruption in Eskom that it is quite possible that names or “ghosts” have been added to the payroll. It is time Eskom did a roll call,” Ms Myburgh said.

Issued by Dean Le Grange, Media and Digital Co-ordinator, Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 1 August 2018