The strike action is in accordance with COSATU’s Notice under Section 77 (1) (b) of the Labour Relations Act, dated 13 March 2008, in response to the danger of retrenchments in the mining sector and elsewhere due to Eskom’s decision to reduce electricity supply to industry and its threat to oppose any new major construction initiatives.

COSATU is further concerned that Eskom’s 27.5% tariff increase, which municipalities can increase still further, will put thousands more jobs at risk, as companies, already facing massive increases in the cost of fuel and interest rates, try to balance their books by retrenching workers, or may be forced to close down.

COSATU acknowledges that the current power-cuts and power shortages constitute a national crisis which affects all South Africans. We will work actively and constructively to help manage the power-shortage and to find a lasting solution, but are adamant that workers should not be asked to pay for government’s failure to invest in electricity in the late 1990s, as a result of its plans to privatise Eskom and do nothing when it was warned about the amount of investment that would be required to meet the expected rise in demand for power in the future.

Workers can rest assured that all those who participate in the strike will be protected by law and cannot legally be victimised or punished, except for those performing genuinely essential services and who do essential maintenance work.

We must emphasise that all these demonstrations have been, and will continue to be, peaceful, orderly and disciplined in the COSATU tradition. People should therefore ignore any anonymous e-mails threatening violence against members of the public. Such emails are malicious hoaxes circulated by the enemies of the trade union movement in an attempt to discredit us.

Members of the public are very welcome to join the marches listed below and can be absolutely sure that they will be totally safe.