Employees must return to Eskom; AfriForum still prepares for legal action

While South Africa was plunged into darkness late Tuesday afternoon, the National Union of Mineworkers(NUM)and National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) agreed to meet with Eskom this coming Friday (July 1) in order to continue their negotiations around salary increases. Both unions have instructed their striking members to return to their posts to keep the struggling power provider afloat.

AfriForum welcomes this development and regards it as a response to the civil rights organisation’s intended legal action to oblige law enforcers to take action against illegal strikers who are responsible for sabotage, intimidation and interference at various power stations across the country. However, AfriForum has instructed its legal team to continue with the drafting of court documents, in preparation for any breakdown in the negotiations between Eskom and trade unions that could again lead to unrest.

“The situation between Eskom and the relevant unions is extremely turbulent at this stage. We believe that any dissatisfaction on the part of the unions during the negotiations could again lead to unrest and violent, illegal strikes at Eskom’s power stations, as well as other important infrastructure. We will therefore monitor the situation and ensure that we are ready to approach the courts should it be necessary to prevent any further disintegration of the power network,” says Armand Greyling, AfriForum’s legal and risk officer.