Electricity utility Eskom says it has no plans to retrench employees. This comes after Solidarity claimed on Thursday that the state-owned entity plans to “get rid of” 500 white people, who are responsible for maintenance, by 2025.
According to Solidarity, the apparent plan to “get rid of” 500 whites, is part of Eskom’s “race plan” for 2023 to 2025.
But Solidarity said it had written a letter to the power utility asking it to set aside the race quota and focus more on developing the entity.
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“In the letter, Solidarity stated that there is an urgent need in South Africa for the dissemination of the best skills in the workplace regardless of race. There are competent black and white craftsmen in Eskom and there and those who should be recruited by Eskom based on their ability to helps to overcome the crisis of electricity and without looking at the color of the skin.
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“We don’t see in the plan that Eskom is making a plan to address the skills challenge. This plan is all about skin color at different levels of work,” said Solidarity Chief Executive Dr Dirk Hermann.
“This absurd race target is due to the fact that the maintenance of power stations is one of Eskom’s main challenges. Eskom now needs to focus on one thing only, and that is not race, but power. South Africans do not need race targets but they need light on house and power for his business,” explains Hermann.
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“Targets such as this discourage existing staff members and also show that competent white people cannot apply for jobs to solve the crisis. In addition, it is almost impossible to select several hundred experts who offer their services to help Eskom because of the wrong color of their skin.
Solidarity said it was also preparing a court case to have Eskom exempted from black economic empowerment requirements.
Eskom is not planning to lay off employees
On Friday, Eskom said it had no plans to lay off its employees.
“Retrenchments in South Africa are governed by section 189 (3) of the Labor Relations Act 1995, with strict requirements on appropriate consultation with all relevant stakeholders, including recognized trade unions,” Eskom said in a statement.
“The consultation must be clear about the reasons and conditions under which retrenchment may be allowed. Discrimination based on race or gender is not appropriate as a criterion for retrenchment.
Eskom said the Solidarity document referred to in the letter was part of an internal consultation on labor equity with the union, which sought to verify information correctly, soliciting input on targets as well as affirmative measures required.
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“It is very, opportunistic and unprofessional for Solidarity, or any party in a confidential internal consultation, to choose to cause unnecessary panic and fear, create a sensation among staff and the media before allowing the internal process to make the appropriate decision,” Eskom said. .
“Eskom’s transformation agenda and employment practices are guided by our values, operational requirements and state labor laws rather than race. We are committed to achieving diversity, equality and inclusion responsibly and sustainably.