Pretoria - Timely intervention and pressure by the Gauteng South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) moved Eskom to lift an attachment in one of the Emfuleni municipal accounts used for salary payments, to allow workers to be paid on Christmas Eve.
Samwu provincial secretary Mpho Tladinyane told the Pretoria News that the last-minute move by the power utility came as a relief to workers, who had faced the prospect of having a miserable festive period.
The union had expressed disappointment with Eskom’s decision to attach the bank account of the Emfuleni Local Municipality through a court order.
It raised the alarm that the decision could result in workers not being paid their December salaries, over the municipality owing Eskom at least R5 billion for bulk electricity supply.
The power utility secured two orders against the municipality, one in 2018 for R71 million and the second in October 2022 for R1.3bn.
Tladinyane said: “The current account between September and November 2022 is at R328m. The municipality informed Samwu that they were still engaging with Eskom, and they had proposed a payment plan which states that the R328m be paid in the next six months.
“Eskom (demanded) that the R368m be paid immediately before the bank account is released.”
In trying to resolve the matter, the union engaged the municipality and office of the Gauteng premier.
“We appreciate the intervention of the premier in trying to resolve the matter,” Tladinyane said.
The union had appealed to both Premier Panyaza Lesufi and Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan to intervene and ensure that workers were paid their December salaries.
“Workers cannot suffer due to the failure of both Emfuleni and Eskom reaching an agreement,” Samwu said.
Pretoria News