Medupi workers fired: report
Around 1,000 contract workers at Eskom’s Medupi power plant have been given their marching orders for vandalising property, Reuters reported.
“Some of the workers have received text messages for them not to come today, they have been fired,” Eskom spokesman Khulu Phasiwe told Reuters.
“Companies are checking as to who have received prior written warnings and they have now been fired.”
Construction at the power station was halted this week as a direct response to striking National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) members.
Numsa’s Medupi members wanted the retrenchment of workers to be halted with immediate effect and for completion bonuses to be given to all workers – not only to senior managers.
The union also called for an end to workers being reportedly evicted from their subsidised accommodation based on their race.
“The failure by Eskom to respond to these genuine and legitimate demands of workers will force the union to escalate its organisational muscle and power until these demands are met,” the union’s collective bargaining head Steve Nhlapo said.
He said if the demands were not met the union would be forced to bring in workers from the Kusile power station in Mpumalanga.
Eskom’s Phasiwe confirmed that operations had been closed at certain parts of the power station and that some contractors had sent their non-striking workers home for safety reasons, while others continued to work.
Earlier in March, unit 6 at Medupi started producing power for the first time, marking the end to years of delays hindering the switch-on.
Medupi’s total output of 4764MW is expected to be synchronised to the grid by 2019.
With Sapa
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