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1 000 construction workers fired at Medupi power station

Construction workers at Eskom’s Medupi power station embarked on a one-day strike this week, resulting in 1 000 workers being fired for damaging property.

The unrest at the plant stems from workers protesting poor living conditions and higher pay.

Steve Nhlapo, NUMSA‘s head of collective bargaining, confirmed to Reuters that the workers were fired via text messages and warned that it might cause more stay-aways from employed contract workers.

“No worker will return to work when 1 000 workers are fired. This will just make them stay away for longer. You can’t fire workers by text, there are procedures to follow and unions to consult,” he said.

Yesterday he confirmed that all construction workers were locked out of the site. “The company decided to lock workers out. The site is closed, around 20 000 workers are off site,” he told Reuters.

As South Africa’s newest power station, Medupi is expected to generate an additional 800 megawatts of electricity by July this year, but the project has experienced a number of setbacks which include technical issues and previous labour disputes.

Eskom spokesperson Khulu Phasiwe said “So far, it’s over 1 000, but that number can go up depending on the charges against them. These things are adding up and the companies are beginning to take action.”

Yesterday he confirmed that Eskom was in discussions with the contract workers and their unions “in an effort to find a solution to the issues that were raised by the unions.”

[Source – Reuters]

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