NUMSA RESPONSE TO ESKOM's SECRET DOSSIER!
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) fully backs Eskom's initiated agreement with global mining giant BHP Billiton to unwind a special pricing arrangement that saw Eskom selling nearly a 10th of its output at a loss.
The imperialist companies BHP Billiton and Anglo American signed clandestine deals with Eskom in the past decade, guaranteeing the two imperialist owned companies the supply of cheap electricity at a price of 12cents per kilowatt-hour for most of the lifespan of aluminum smelters built on the basis of the contracts.
This clandestine or secretive deal was nothing less than stealing from the poor to benefit the rich. The unwinding of the agreement by Eskom will not ease the burden currently faced by the workers and the poor as a result of high cost of electricity and pending tariffs hikes recently approved by Nersa.
We demand Eskom to unwind the agreement in the interests of the workers and the poor. This should be done through halting or stopping the approved tariffs hikes by Nersa.
Statement issued by Castro Ngobese, NUMSA national spokesperson, April 21 2010
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