NUMSA slams plans to restructure Eskom
Workers union, NUMSA has heavily criticised the move to divide Eskom into three entities, calling it a privatisation cover up.
During his State of the Nation Address last night, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the power producer would be broken into three segments that would individually focus on generation, transmission and distribution.
Government seems convinced that this approach would see Eskom perform more efficiently and closely monitor costs.
But NUMSA's Phakamile Hlubi-Majola says this is nothing but a privatisation move and that nothing good has ever come out of such when workers are concerned.
"History has told us that any time privatisation takes place - there is massive retrenchments and there's no decrease in the cost of energy. We believe the State's plan ultimately will be more detrimental on the working class and the poor. It's a lie to claim that this is pain that must be felt by all of us. The pain will only be felt by the working class and the poor," Hlubi-Majola said.
The President added the power utility will in the near future need to develop a new business model, one that will require sourcing capital through an affordable tariff increase.
Missed the latest Newswatch? Find more on this and other developing stories below.