Numsa: Proposed electricity surcharge for Glencore could devastate Rustenburg economy
Members of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) marched in Rustenburg on Friday.
The union handed a memorandum of demands to the municipality over its plans to charge Glencore Smelters a surcharge for electricity.
The union claims that Eskom has filed an application to the National Energy Regulator of South Africa for a negotiated pricing agreement for Glencore.
Numsa says this will result in Glencore Smelters being charged an additional fees, which could see them moving its operations out of RustenburgNumsa spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola says this would lead to massive job losses, which will have devastating consequences for the community.
“If Glencore moves its operations, at least 1050 direct jobs will be lost, but what is even worse, is that more than 7300 jobs along the value chain will also be affected.
"This is why Numsa had no choice but to get involved in order to defend the jobs of its members, but, also, to defend the livelihoods of the Rustenburg community as a whole."
Hlubi-Majola says the Rustenburg local municipality must withdraw its plan to impose a surcharge.
“We are giving the municipality seven working days to respond in writing to our demands."
She says the union had written to the municipality in July but had not received a satisfactory response.
“Numsa is disappointed that it had to resort to marching to the municipality to raise this issue after, the general secretary of the union, comrade Irvin Jim, wrote a letter to the municipal manager of Rustenburg in July, requesting that they withdraw the surcharge, but no one from the municipality bothered to respond.
“The MMC promised they would respond in writing in seven days. However, we have made it clear as a union that the only response we would accept is if they agree to withdraw the surcharge entirely."
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