COSATU and NUM to rollout a massive campaign against Eskom and government to fight against the closure of five power stations
12 April 2017
The Congress of South African Trade Unions is reiterating its call for government to stop proceeding with the introduction of Independent Power Producers {IPP’s} to the national grid and also to force Eskom to reverse its decision to shut down five power stations. We are fully behind the campaign by our affiliate the National Union of Mineworkers {NUM} to mobilise its members and push back against this reckless decision.
COSATU will lead from the front in mobilising workers from across the board, including communities and all the affected stakeholders to join the campaign against the introduction of IPP’s. We are looking forward to the NUM NEC meeting to be held on the 20-21 April 2017, where the details of the campaign will be thrashed out.
The federation is adamant that government should suspend IPP contracts until the clarity on the jobs issue has been provided. We also demand transparency and want to know, who are these IPP’s bringing into country in terms technology and skills.
We condemn the Ministers of Mineral Resources, Energy and State Owned Enterprises, including the President Jacob Zuma for failing to provide leadership on this matter. The country has invested billions in Eskom and now that we have an oversupply of electricity, they decide to shutdown power stations that produce electricity cheap and opt to buy it from IPP’s. This decision is going to destroy jobs and lives of the surrounding communities.