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THREAT: Necsa could shed more than 200 professional jobs. photo: GIANLUIGI GUERCIA

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The retrenchments, which will start after a 60-day consultation period, will push a large number of qualified engineers, technicians and scientists to the streets to join the country's growing army of the unemployed.

Necsa spokesman Daniel Moagi said yesterday that the parastatal was pursuing a structural review and realignment.

"Necsa is pursuing a review and realignment of the current structure in order to fulfil its mandate within the budget as allocated by government. In this regard, various aspects of the business are under review to ensure cost reduction, rationalisation of the organisation and operational efficiency," Moagi said.

He said conditions that led to retrenchments had not changed but that "a R130-million bail-out could reverse the situation".

The National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) has placed the blame squarely on the government and executive managers.

Yesterday, the union said it had approached the Minister of Energy Dipuo Peters to intervene to save critically scarce skills and to take action against wasteful managers.

Nehawu spokesman Sizwe Pamla said the reduction of Necsa's subsidy was a contributing factor to the looming crisis.

"We are arranging a meeting with the minister to look at how we can save jobs. Workers should not carry the burden of government reducing Necsa's subsidy.

"If retrenchments are allowed to proceed, this will render a large number of young professionals redundant. It will also reverse the transformation gains we have made in the nuclear industry in general," said Pamla.

He said jobs could also be saved if Necsa managers took pay cuts.

"Despite the financial challenges facing the organisation, group executives at Necsa have continued to give themselves exorbitant salary increases of about 306% while ordinary workers received a mere 4% to 7% increase," he said.

Pamla said the union would demand that the government stabilised the parastatal.

Department of Energy spokeswoman Zodwa Batyashe said the minister had received a request to intervene and would engage all stakeholders. - mabuzak@sowetan.co.za

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Wed May 22 12:45:19 SAST 2013 ::

May 8, 2012

mrc22

Our Country is going down.
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May 8, 2012

MommaC

salary increases of about 306% while ordinary workers received a mere 4% to 7% increase,

TJO !!!!!
What is the bet that (to add insult to injury) those executives aren't even qualified to sit on the board?

"qualified engineers, technicians and scientists" do not "join the country's growing army of the unemployed". They leave the country and the country loses the ability to carry on with the projects or even to maintain the projects..
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May 8, 2012

mambaaai

MC
I agree, it is stupid. SA has uranium resources, these can be refined for the nuclear power stations around the world... SA was leading the way in pebble bed technology which was looking promising. In terms of the discussion the other day... of taking our products to a final product as opposed to seling the raw product.
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May 8, 2012

mambaaai

MC

you also make a good point regarding the salaries... the workers jobs are to work. but the directors are there to direct the company.... In Japan they recognise this simple truth, so when a company gets into this situation the directors have failed to do their jobs go first...because one directors salary pays for thousands of workers...


As a result what one sees in Japan a ship building company for example redirects the company toward building Oil Platforms

BMW for example the insignia is a airoplane propeller, BMW left doing airoplane engines started doing motorcycles then cars


SA could create jobs and exprts if thye directed these scientists and engineers energies into the correct direction
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May 8, 2012

Pointman

All the signs of a banana republic emerging fast like Nombembe the auditor general pointed out just yesterday. Incompetent cadres get high profile jobs while highly trained people get sidelined. I know of many educated people looking overseas again.
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May 8, 2012

MommaC

mambaaai

Can you just imagine if we placed an export tariff on unfinished minerals and opened factories here? Every dentist and doctor's office in the whole world would have OUR equipment in their surgeries and our unemployment rate would halve. These young engineers and scientists could mentor others who have talent and we could become (once again) world leaders. But no. Rather give some fatcat useless politically affiliated scoundrel a short term get-rich-quick opportunity by placing him on a board of directors.

Makes me want to slap someone
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May 8, 2012

kilawea

......all parasitestatals are full of ANC cadres displaying their new ill-gotten fortunes. All want to be executives and all want to belong to the jet-set.......

.....NEHAWU probably has many comrades employed in the high spheres, as it happens in hospitals and clinics........Easier to ask government for bail-out rather than demand firing the supernumerary and useless bureaucracy..........
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May 8, 2012

mambaaai

MC

I agreed, these engineers and scientists are part of the countries scarce resources,,,,all t is required that there efforts and energies are directed. As you say one could apply many models....


perhaps somebody like COSATU should take this type of cause up as it would create more members for them...

or the communist party


the fat cat side of things makes" a better life for all" sound so ironic again
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May 8, 2012

MorenaWaPolelo

My Lord!!!! a hike of 306% this cadres are realy milking the nuke city dry maan yhu haikhona!!! Is this possible Sowetan are you sure??
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May 8, 2012

MommaC

mambaaai

LOL
Cosatu would have them all out on strike and the nuclear waste strewn across the parkinglot before they would do something constructive.

What bugs me the most is that it isn't rocket science. We have the tools available in SA but we keep ignoring them all in favour of attempting to re-invent the wheel
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