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Strike expected to further constrain electricity supply in S. Africa

Xinhua, May 6, 2015 Adjust font size:

Continued industrial action at a major power station would further constrain electricity supply in South Africa, authorities said on Wednesday.

The strike by employees at the Medupi Power Station Project in Limpopo Province is in its sixth week and has resulted in construction delays, the national electricity utility Eskom said.

Eskom has been struggling to keep the lights on after the Medupi Station, along with other stations, collapsed due to poor maintenance since last November.

However, work being carried out on Unit 6 at the Medupi Station has continued successfully, Eskom said.

The strike came amid a worsening power shortage that has resulted in widespread rolling blackouts.

The striking employees have not heeded the call to return to work since the unprotected industrial action took place on March 25, despite a court interdict as well as ultimatums issued in this regard. Organized labor was informed of the final ultimatums issued to their members to return to work.

Whilst some employees have responded to the ultimatums, most have defied and ignored the court interdict as well as the ultimatums, according to Eskom.

Violence and intimidation was experienced in the accommodation areas where these employees reside as well as en-route to the project site, said Eskom.

"This has resulted in employees that want to return to work, being prevented or intimidated from doing so. The interventions by the Project and Contractor Security Teams, SAPS (South African Police Service) included, have managed to contain the situation, but it remains tense," the utility said.

Eskom pledged to work with the contractors and organized labor to find a way forward to get employees back to work within the next two weeks.

The strike, organized by the National Union of Metalworkers in South Africa (NUMSA), was staged to press the workers' demand for complete bonus given to all workers, not only to senior managers, an end to retrenchments of workers, and a halt to racialized evictions of workers from their subsidized accommodation. Endi