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No World Cup strike, says Eskom

Johannesburg - There will be no strike during the FIFA World Cup, national power supplier Eskom said on Monday.

“We have normal salary negotiations again on Thursday. If there are plans for any impending strike, I am not aware of it,” Erika Johnson, chief officer of customer network services at the parastatal told a press briefing in Germiston, Johannesburg.

Eskom was unveiling its preparedness and operational plans for the soccer tournament.

She said she met with the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) over the weekend and they "recommitted themselves" to their central bargaining process.

The union, which claimed to represent over 10 000 Eskom workers, had previously threatened to go on strike if Eskom didn’t meet its 18% wage increase demand.

Johnson said strikes were prohibited at Eskom.

“We are an essential services industry and strikes are not allowed in this industry.”

While the company had normal contingency plans to work around issues, such as critical staff not arriving at work because of sickness, no contingency plans had been made to cater for a possible strike.

“In general we do not expect a strike and we are in an essential services environment.”

Backed up by a study by Korean power company Kepco, which supplied power to the World Cup when it was hosted by Korea and Japan in 2002, Johnson said Eskom was ready to supply enough power during the tournament.

Asked whether the country could expect any rolling blackouts during the event, she answered with a decisive “no”.

- Sapa

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