The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has called for urgent and structured consultations between organised labour and the National Energy Crisis Committee (Necom) task team that is deliberating on the transfer of Eskom’s transmission assets to an independent Transmission System Operator (TSO).

In his State of the Nation Address (SoNA), President Cyril Ramaphosa gave the task team three months to report back to him on the restructuring process, including clear time frames for its phased implementation.

He also directed that the TSO should have ownership and control of the transmission assets in contradiction to an unbundling plan announced in December which stated that the National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA) would retain ownership of the assets and would remain an Eskom Holdings subsidiary.

The NUM, which has been a consistent opponent of Eskom’s unbundling, said in a statement that consultations should be convened with all recognised trade unions at Eskom Holdings and the NTCSA within the first month of the three-month period outlined by Ramaphosa.

It also identified three areas that it said should be addressed and/or committed to in these discussions, namely:

• the associated risks to Eskom Holdings and the NTCSA of transferring ownership of the transmission assets to an independent TSO;
• written guarantees preserving all employment terms, conditions, and benefits, including Eskom Pension and Provident Fund membership, beyond the ones conferred in terms of Section 197 of the Labour Relations Act; and
• a transparent and definite plan addressing financial risks, cross-default mitigation, and compensation arrangements.

“The NUM insists that structured and substantive engagement with organised labour must take place before the Necom finalises any proposals.”