THE National Union of Mineworkers' wage stand-off with Eskom could affect power supply. On Friday NUM announced that it would strike.
The Cape Chamber of Commerce said the strike would damage the reputation of the country and discourage investment in new mining and industrial ventures.
A NUM spokesman said Eskom has displayed arrogance by unilaterally pushing for a two-year 7% deal while the union wants 13%.
Eskom spokesman Hilary Joffe said the next step in the dispute-resolution process is compulsory arbitration.
"Therefore any strike by Eskom employees would be illegal because Eskom is an essential service. If we were to be notified formally of the trade unions' intention to call a strike, we would apply for a court interdict to prevent this," she said.
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