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A strike at Eskom would hit agriculture

30 Jun 2010

Agricultural associations on Tuesday, 29 June 2010, signalled potential consequences for agriculture should unions at Eskom embark on a strike over a wage dispute.

Boikanyo Mokgatle, the relationship and protocol executive with the National Chamber of Milling, warned of possible staple food shortages such as maize meal at retail stores.

"Our production lines run on a 24-hour basis, heavily dependent on Eskom power supply. Any disruption to our processing plants will result in food shortages on the shelves," Mokgatle said.

Animal Feed Manufacturers Association executive director De Wet Boshoff said any power outage would have negative consequences for its members, specifically with regards to production animals that need to be supplied with feed on an ongoing basis. A good example in this regard was the chicken business.

Solidarity, the National Union of Mineworkers and the National Union of Metalworkers, which represent the majority of workers at Eskom, are demanding a 9% wage increase across the board, a 2,500 rand housing allowance, six months paid maternity leave and a 9% allowance increase.

Eskom is offering an 8% wage increase across the board, R500 housing benefits plus an R800 top-up, four months paid maternity leave and a 5.6% allowance increase.

Source: I-Net Bridge

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