ANA reports that Cosatu said on Wednesday that government should come up with a plan to ensure no jobs were lost in the coal sector while power utility Eskom prepared to go into partnerships with independent power producers (IPP).  

The trade union federation said it supported a march by hundreds of coal truck drivers who descended on Pretoria earlier on Wednesday to march to the Union Buildings.  "South Africa's electricity generation is based on coal and plays an important role in ensuring that factories continue to retain and create more jobs.  Therefore, any policy, including introduction of renewable energy, should ensure that we retain the current number of jobs and create new ones," Cosatu said.  Unhappy truck drivers blocked major roads in Pretoria as they made their way into the capital.  The protest, organised by the Coal Transportation Forum, was against the contracting of IPP's by Eskom as it would lead to job losses.

• Read this report by Getrude Makhafola in full at IOL News
• Read Cosatu’s press statement in this regard at Cosatu Today

Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page