Jan de Lange writes in Rapport that Eskom will have to reduce the number of its white engineers by 1,081 and white artisans by 2,179 in order to comply with strict new government requirements in terms of the Employment Equity Act.
The new numerical targets derive from a directive given to Eskom in December by Thobile Lamati, director-general of labour, and require the state-owned power utility, which is the best performing public enterprise in respect of affirmative action, to ensure that these two key job categories become “completely reflective of the national and regional demographics” by the end of March 2020. Some 6,530 people at Eskom, of whom 30% or 1,786 are white, currently occupy “professional and mid-management” positions and are mostly engineers. 1,081 white employees in these categories, where 70,6% of employees are currently black, need to be shed until 705 remain. Of the 21,372 “technically skilled” employees at Eskom, 4,487 or 21% are white. By 2020 some 2,179 will have to leave. Engineers and artisans are the groups in which Eskom is experiencing most of its skills shortages, but in Eskom as a whole, 44.3% of its white workforce (3,389 employees) must be reduced.
The new requirements were presented to Eskom’s three unions – the NUM, Numsa and Solidarity – in December for the purposes of consultation on replacing Eskom’s current employment equity plan, which expires at the end of March. The consultations are presently taking place at the level of Eskom’s power stations. Eskom spokesperson Khulu Phasiwe confirmed the validity of the consultation documents, but said they were not yet Eskom’s official position and that no one would lose their jobs because of the colour of their skin. A top Eskom manager who told Rapport two years ago Eskom was transforming too rapidly, said on Saturday: “It will be catastrophic if our affirmative action targets now lead to the estrangement of people whose skills we need.”
- A short report is at News24
- The original Rapport article, entitled Eskom moet ontslae raak van 1,081 wit ingenieurs, is at Netwerk24
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