South Africans will get a reprieve from Stage 6 rolling blackouts from Thursday.
In the latest update on the current rolling blackouts, Eskom has announced that the blackouts will remain at Stage 4 throughout the day tomorrow.
However, for now, it has again been ramped up to Stage 6 from 16:00 until 22:00.
Eskom Spokesperson Sikhonathi Mantshantsha says while some workers have started reporting for duty at the power stations, there is still a high level of absenteeism.
He adds that as a result of the unlawful strike, routine maintenance work has had to be postponed.
In the video below, Mantshantsha confirms that some employees have gone back to work:
Bad faith
Eskom workers at the Matla Power Station near Kriel in Mpumalanga are accusing management of negotiating in bad faith.
About 200 employees affiliated with the National Union of Mine Workers (NUM) at this station are on strike demanding a salary increase.
Eskom says that some employees at other power plants have started to return to work.
However, workers at Matla Power Station say they will not go back to work until their demands are met.
NUM Branch Chairperson Nkosinathi Sithole says, “They have changed unilaterally the condition of service without consultation that has affected the pockets of the workers. We are requiring at least 10% but we are open to negotiations. From the 1st of July 2022, they will be implementing a 5.4% plus they will be changing the disciplinary procedure. So, the employees feel aggrieved.”
Sithole says they will not go back to work even though the current rolling blackouts are attributed to their strike action.
“We love South Africa. We are equally affected by load shedding because before we are employees, we are citizens of this country but Eskom is treating is like sub-humans. The situation it has got out of hand now, hence the employees are saying if their demands are not met, they are not going back.”
-Report by Nomsa Mdluli and Mthobisi Mkhaliphi
